Ghost Prince, Teen Loser, Same Thing
by Blahblahblah789
Summary: When he defeated Pariah Dark, Danny became the future King and current Prince of the Ghost Zone. Now, his class is taking a trip into his kingdom, so what will Danny do? Not to mention the chance of the humans getting trapped in the Zone. That wouldn't happen, would it? (Yes. Yes it would.) (There is swearing, sexual references, and sexual jokes cuz teens, you've been warned.)
1. Intro

Mr. Lancer stared at his class with the same apathetic expression he had worn every minute of the last three years, which happened to be as long as he had taught this class. He had once had hope for this particular group. Tucker Foley, the greatest technological mind in the town, even as a freshman. Dash Baxter, a promising athlete who was destined to get a football scholarship. Danny Fenton, the child of the towns resident mad-scientists who happened to be right all along, had kept an A- average ever since he started schooling that gave letter-grades. Sam Manson, a girl who was never afraid to speak her mind and was likely to become a great political voice in adulthood. Every last one of the students in that class, at the beginning of their freshman year, were practically destined to be good, influential people. Mr. Lancer had believed with all his heart that they would be amazing, but only half-way into the school-year everything fell apart. Danny Fenton was in an accident that took him out of school for almost two weeks. When he returned, He, Sam, and Tucker were inseparable and impenetrable. Dash, Paulina, Star, Kwan, and Valerie formed a group that was just as close. The two groups immediately became opposites in the social food chain of the student body, Danny's Trio becoming known for poor attendance, falling grades, and lack of focus. The A-Listers, as they called themselves, were known for poor grades as well, but power and popularity amongst the student body, along with more interest in their social activities than anything else made them the very opposite of the Trio. Mr. Lancer watched some of his best students give up on their grades in exchange for other activities. Daniel Fenton, however, shocked him the most. The boy was caught in a nasty accident and put in the hospital. The moment he came back after only two weeks away, he went from A's to D's. Daniel started missing classes so often he had detention three times a week, yet he missed those as well. He often requested to go to the restroom and, upon his return much later, would have a slight limp or bruise or cut, as if he had been in a fight. He began sleeping in class more often than not and eventually was only present and awake, in the classroom, on a school day, during class, nine times a month. His behavior led his two best friends to follow his example to a lesser extent. They occasionally didn't go to school at all, claiming that they had prior engagements that were more important. Mr. Lancer couldn't help but be disappointed that they had fallen so far from the great potential they once posed for this world. The three now used their talents for their own activities, of which Lancer had no knowledge what they did in their free-time. He had his suspicions in the past, but any and all attempts to discover the truth led only to more questions and failure. Mr. Lancer had all but given up, but after a recent event, he changed his mind and decided to give one last attempt before abandoning all hope. He had recently seen Tucker and Sam much too close to a fight between Danny Phantom and a ghost known as Skulker. The two had looked comfortable and almost as if they were used to the situation. They both had some form of weapon and happened to be assisting Phantom, a local hero. The ghost boy had been causing many problems for almost as long as Mr. Lancer had been teaching this specific group of students. Only a month after Daniel had returned from the hospital in his freshman year, Phantom had appeared. The ghost had begun fighting its own kind in Amity Park, supposedly protecting the townspeople from the ectoplasmic entities. He had been fighting for the people of Amity Park for three years now and had saved countless lives. There had even been occasions where the young ghost had saved the entire town from a major threat, such as Pariah Dark, who had brought the entire town into the ghost realm. Mr. Lancer had been clued into the connection between the Trio and the Ghost problem only days after that specific event, at which point he overheard them discussing it in detail only someone in the middle of the battle would have been able to know. Mr. Lancer couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto his face as he looked at his class, for he knew he would likely learn the truth about the secretive Trio only a few days later. He had only been looking at the class for a few seconds, but with all the thoughts and memories swirling through his head, the man couldn't help but feel as though it had been almost the entire hour.


	2. Chapter 1 - Identities and Anouncements

Danny Fenton was a young soul. At the ripe age of only 14, he had died. This fact was something he prided himself in. For the young man was also very much alive. He was known to the ghost realm as a Halfa. The Human realm, luckily, had no knowledge of his unique condition. Danny's death was caused by an electrical shock that, if it had come from any other source, would've killed him outright. However, Danny's death was caused by a very unique, two-of-a-kind electrocution. The boy had been attempting to fix what his mad-scientists parents called a 'Ghost-Portal', which was supposed to lead to the realm of the dead. Unknown to Danny, a small button on the inside of it happened to be the very thing that turned on this portal that worked, despite what Danny and his parents believed, which was that the portal was a failed attempt, and therefore harmless. When Danny accidentally pressed the 'on button' while inside the portal, he was electrocuted and killed by all the ectoplasmic-electric energy of the ghost realm, which happened to be the reverse side of our very own realm. After being electrocuted with all the energy of an entire realms very existence, Danny's every molecule was destroyed and rebuilt over and over again until his entire body was both alive and dead. This allows him to switch back and forth between his human form, the one that represented his living self, and his ghost form, which is who he would be if he were completely dead. After becoming a Halfa, as it's been dubbed, Danny realized that in activating the Portal, he allowed ghosts to begin traveling into the land of the living. The boy decided to protect the people of his town from any threatening ghosts and inadvertently became a local hero to most of the town. Of course, there were some people who found him to be dangerous or a menace. Some of these people, unfortunately, were Danny's own parents. However, only four people in the town knew that he was both Danny Fenton AND Danny Phantom. These four happened to be Sam and Tucker, his two best friends, Jazz, his sister, and Vlad Masters, the Mayor and only other Halfa in existence. Oddly enough, despite being two-of-a-kind, Vlad and Danny absolutely despised each other. They often fought in their ghost forms and were known by those who knew them both for disliking one another greatly. Not to mention that Vlad had cloned Danny multiple times, only one of them surviving with Danny's help. The clone was a female version of the Halfa who called herself Dani and had decided to travel the world, living her half-life to the fullest.

Danny woke from a dreamlessly deep sleep after fighting ghosts every night for a week, he had finally gotten a full night of sleep. The Halfa stood from his bed, stretching and rubbing his sleep-heavy eyes. Danny wandered over to his dresser and pulled on a pair of jeans before switching out his blue sleep-shirt with his usual white and red t-shirt. Danny grabbed a pair of thick leather bracelets and strapped one of them around his wrist, glancing at the other as he did so. Danny had once fought a being by the name of Pariah Dark, who was the King of the Ghost Realm. Because Danny had defeated the King of the Ghost Zone, he was now the rightful ruler of the Ghost Zone. On top of that, he was a 'new ghost', which is the Ghost equivalent of being a minor, making him Prince of the Ghost Realm. Unfortunately for Danny, being any form of Ghost Royalty meant having a Royal Mark. The Royal Mark was a small crown that would be placed somewhere on your body, like a tattoo. Unfortunately for Danny, he has the mark on his wrists, a small crown on the inside of each of his wrists with a black line wrapping all the way around. Wrapping around the black lines were two thin blue and green lines, representing Danny's blue ice core and the green of ectoplasm. He knew that anyone seeing the marks would only cause trouble, so he now wears black leather bracelets that cover them.

Danny strapped on the second bracelet and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth and make sure his hair wasn't a complete mess. When he looked in the mirror, Danny realized that his arms had muscle tone, as well as some scars from the past week and realized he would have to wear long sleeves. Danny quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair before returning to his room. Upon looking in his dresser, however, he discovered that his hoodies were all dirty and tried to find what else he could wear to hide his arms. The only thing he could find was a leather jacket that Sam had bought him as a joke a couple of months before. Danny sighed and pulled off the tag before slipping on the jacket. He looked in the bathroom mirror again to make sure he was hiding anything he wanted to hide and realized that he would probably have to start wearing the jacket more often. Looking in the mirror, however, Danny realized that wearing the jacket more often might not be too much of a problem.

Danny made his way down the stairs and grabbed his backpack off the floor next to the front door. Before he could leave, however, the loud booming voice of Jack Fenton, Danny's father, sounded from in the kitchen.

"Well, hey, Danno! No good morning for the old man? At least let me say good-bye before you run off to that school of yours!" Danny sighed, but on the inside, he was pleased. Despite the man's faults, Danny knew his father truly loved him. Danny walked over to the man, who was wearing his signature orange hazmat-suit and gave him a hug, which was returned ten-fold by the large man. Danny pulled away started putting on his shoes.

"Good morning, Dad. I love you, but I have to go to school now. Have a good day!" The teen smiled and waved at his father before walking out of the house, hearing a loud 'Love you too, Danno!' after he closed the door. Danny smiled before going on his way, walking down the street until he made it to a nearby alley where he slipped to the end, far enough down that nobody could see him. The teen looked upward and whispered to himself. "I'm going ghost."

Immediately after speaking the quiet phrase, a large glowing ring appeared around Danny's body. The ring split in two and moved along Danny's body, replacing his converse, jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket, and backpack with a black and white hazmat-suit. As it moved over his head, Danny's blue eyes turned green and his black hair flipped to a stark white before the rings disappeared, leaving Danny Phantom where Danny Fenton had just stood. He smiled and quickly shot off into the sky, flying in the direction of Sam Manson's house.

When he got there, Danny turned invisible and slipped through the roof of Sam's house, landing in her room. Danny transformed back into his human form and sat on Sam's bed, waiting for her to exit her bathroom. After less than a minute, the ebony haired goth stepped out of her bathroom in her day-clothes, smiling when she saw that her boyfriend had already arrived.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Am I dreaming, or are you wearing your leather jacket?" The girl climbed onto Danny's lap, straddling him. "I never thought I'd see the day." Danny smiled.

"Oh, I realized I'm too good-looking nowadays. I have to hide my beautiful biceps." Sam laughed and pecked Danny on the lips.

"The funny part is that I believe that." She climbed off the teen boy and grabbed her backpack from next to her bed. "On another note, are you ready to go?" Danny rolled his eyes and quickly transformed into his ghost self before turning them both invisible and intangible. In a moment, the two of them were flying through the sky. Tucker had started going to the library before school on Monday's, so they went right past his house and straight to Amity High. Danny landed the two behind a large tree across the street from their school, turning them visible, tangible, and transforming himself back into his human form. The two walked out from behind the tree and crossed the street, walking to their lockers, which they had moved to be next to each other. The couple discussed a new video game while they put away their backpacks and grabbed what they would need for their first half of the day. Sam carried their folders and notebooks, while Danny carried some textbooks and a small pencil case with writing utensils in it.

"I hear there's going to be a DLC where you can replace every character in the game with a customized skin. Maybe we could turn them all into ghosts." Danny smiled as he made the suggestion, making Sam laugh.

"Oh, my Clockwork. Imagine making all of the healers be yeti from the FarFrozen? You could have the queen be Pandora!" Danny laughed loudly.

"Only if your dog companion becomes Cujo. It's so perfect that if we don't do that it would just be depressing. I feel like we would be breaking some kind of law." The two continued making suggestions to one another and laughing until they reached their classroom. When they finally got there, the two walked to the back of the room, where Tucker was already sitting. The tech-obsessed teen easily joined in on their conversation and the Trio spent the rest of their time before class started laughing about their various ideas and plans. When class started, Mr. Lancer stood in front of the class for a few seconds, staring at his students as a small smile crawled onto his face. Afterward, he finally spoke up, yelling to the room of chattering teenagers.

"Good morning and happy Monday, students! I have an announcement to make that I think you'll all want to hear!" Most of the students turned to Mr. Lancer with tired eyes, while a small handful continued to type something on their phones or whisper to each other. "Now that I have *most* of your attention, I'd like to make my announcement! This Friday, we're going on a field trip! That's not even the best part! The best part is that thank's to Daniel's parents, we're going to the Ghost Zone!" The room went totally silent as the students took in what their teacher had just said. Danny couldn't help but notice that almost half of his classmates were looking at him. "So, at the end of the day, you're all going to grab a permission slip from my desk and you have to bring it back signed on Thursday. Then, on Friday morning we'll all meet here before taking a bus to the Fenton Residence. Daniel, you can meet us there." Danny rolled his eyes.

"I was planning on it, either way, sir. I do live there after all." The rest of the day went as usual, including Danny having to leave for a few minutes during Chemistry to return the Box Ghost to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town where Danny had agreed that the Box Ghost can live. When everybody grabbed the permission slips at the end of the day, the Tio decided to read through them on their way to Tucker's house, where they were going to spend the evening.

"'Please wear appropriate clothing. This means good walking shoes and full-length pants and sleeves. Make sure that the fabric is durable and flexible, to ensure that you are able to participate in any physical activities.' Just watch, Puddle and Satelite will break at least all of those regulations. I'm expecting High Heels, short-skirts, and tank tops. Then complaints that their feet hurt and they're uncomfortable in various ways." Sam smirked as she finished her prediction. Danny sighed.

"Okay, that's probably true, but can we focus on the fact that our entire class and teacher are going to be in the ghost zone with nobody to guide them except my parents? Not to mention, we're kind of well-known in the zone. What if some ghost recognizes us and doesn't keep their mouth shut?" Tucker waved his hand dismissively.

"They aren't dumb enough to cross you. Every single one of those ghosts has either been beaten by you or watched someone get beaten by you. You do realize they were all there when you literally defeated the King of the Ghost Zone, right?" Danny laughed, hoping that his friends wouldn't put together what defeating Pariah meant for the Halfa. He hadn't told them that he was now a Prince, but he had his reasons.

Danny knew that if he told Tucker, he would never live it down. Meanwhile, if he told Sam, he would *never* live it down. Either way, he would never get away from the title. Not to mention, he didn't want them to see him any differently. He was literally the Prince of the entire Ghost Realm. That would definitely bring on some comments that Danny didn't want to deal with. Besides, Danny was still having trouble processing the situation himself. His main problem, though, was that his new status made him even more recognized by other ghosts. However, it was helpful in the fact that only the ghosts who he had made a deal with ever visited Amity Park anymore. This consisted of the Box Ghost, Johnny 13 and Kitty, Dora, Klemper, and the members of the FarFrozen, who never visited unless it was an emergency anyway. The rest of the Ghosts knew that if they caused trouble on Danny's territory he would beat them into the next century then some, so they didn't risk it.

"Danny!" The Halfa jumped and looked at Sam. "Wow, babe. You completely spaced out there. What was distracting that mind of yours?" Tucker smirked.

"Yeah, man. For a second there we thought we had lost you." Danny chuckled.

"Heh, sorry. I got distracted. Just trying to figure out what we should do on Friday." His friends nodded in understanding. The Trio decided to discuss possible plans and ended up spending the rest of the evening preparing for the field trip. They could only hope things would go well.


	3. Chapter 2 - Embarrasment and Embarkment

When Friday finally came, Danny still hadn't done his laundry, meaning he had worn the leather jacket every day that week. He was started to have a love-hate relationship with it. Danny couldn't help but contemplate what it would be like if he started adding studs and stuff the jacket as he grabbed some clothes so he could shower before his entire class showed up at his house. Danny groaned. His entire class was going to his house. What if someone needed to go to the bathroom and ended up accidentally going into Danny's room? They would see the mess he calls his own. And they would be spending the whole day with his parents. Danny had already thought up over a hundred ways that this day could go wrong.

Danny jumped in the shower and, upon finishing, quickly turned intangible so the water would simply fall off him and into the tub. Danny sighed as he stepped out of the shower and pulled on his boxers and jeans. Before he could dress any more, however, the door opened. Danny looked up from where he was holding his shirt, about to put it on and saw Dash standing in the doorway. Danny quickly pulled on his shirt, hoping that it was fast enough that Dash wouldn't notice the web of bright green scars branching all along his torso from when he died.

"Dash, what the hell? Ever heard of knocking?" Danny quickly pulled on his jacket.

"Sorry, Fenturd. Did I ruin your morning? Were you busy popping some kind of pill so that you wouldn't piss your pants every time we see a ghost today?" Danny rolled his eyes.

"No. I just got out of the shower. Now if you don't mind." Danny pushed past Dash and flew down the stairs, quickly pulling on his converse before heading to the lab, where Danny could hear voices. On his way, Danny grabbed an apple from the counter before sauntering into the lab. As he looked out at the room, Danny saw his entire class looking at all of his parents' inventions in awe. "Hey, Mikey! You might not want to touch that!" Most of the students looked at Danny as he made his way over to where Mikey had been about to grab the Jack-O-Nine-Tails, which currently looked like only the handle. "One wrong move," Danny grabbed the weapon and activated it, throwing it at a nearby lamp. Mikey watched as the Jack-O-Nine-Tails crushed the lampshade and wrapped around the lightbulb, luckily not shattering it. "And you take someone's head off." There was a yelp from the other side of the room where Tucker was trying to get Paulina to not use one of the lipstick guns like it's actually lipstick.

"What do you think you're doing? That thing could burn off your lips!" Paulina dropped it on the table where it had been sitting and stepped away.

"You're a total loser, but that is just too big of a risk." Danny sighed and climbed up on one of the tables before yelling.

"Will everybody stop talking? Look, some base rules if you don't want to get hurt by the shit in here, don't touch any of my parents' weapons. Remember that most of the stuff in here is designed as a weapon. Don't be an idiot. It should be pretty easy for most of you. I'm gonna go make sure my parents are aware that they're supposed to be down here. In the meantime, just talk to each other and don't touch anything." Danny climbed down and was immediately face-to-face with Sam. "Can you make sure none of them are idiots while I'm gone?" Sam smirked.

"You don't even have to ask. Just come back soon." Danny smiled and rushed up the stairs to find his parents. Luckily, they were sitting in the kitchen when he left the lab. Maddie saw Danny and smiled.

"Hi, honey. Are you ready to explore the ghost zone?" Danny sighed.

"As I'll ever be." Jack stood and clapped Danny on the back.

"Of course you're ready, Danno! You're a Fenton!" Danny struggled to stay standing from all the force behind his Father's hand. "Let's go show your classmates what the Ghost Zone really is!" Danny smiled, despite the way he felt. He knew his parents saw the Zone as one giant science experiment, but it was really a realm full of thriving societies. Ghost or not, cities are cities.

When the three Fentons entered the lab, everyone went quiet. Danny had to give them credit. His classmates were excited about this trip, so they didn't want to mess anything up. Maddie clapped her hands together.

"So, who's ready to go over some basic rules, just to make sure you all stay safe?" There were a few and a handful of hums, making the woman continue with enthusiasm. "Wonderful! The main rule is that you will stay inside the Specter-Bus unless told otherwise. It's the safest place for you and the ectoplasm in the atmosphere could be harmful. Secondly, if Jack or I give an order, you are expected to follow it. We know what we're doing and want to make sure that you have a fun, safe day. The last rule is that you continue to listen to your teacher. He may be the chaperone, but he is still responsible for your well-being. Follow those three rules and everything should run smoothly." Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes when she said that 'the ectoplasm in the atmosphere could be harmful'. The ectoplasm only affected ghosts. Humans were completely unharmed by it. Jack's voice boomed once Maddie had finished.

"Now, let's all head outside to the Specter-Bus so we can get this show on the road!" Everybody followed Danny's parents outside an around the back of the house. In the backyard was a larger version of the Specter-Speeder. It was about the same size as a bus and had a white and green color scheme. Other than the colors, it could honestly be a real bus. "Everybody climb in through the back door, please!" Danny, Sam, and Tucker let their classmates go before them, climbing in last and therefore sitting in the very back seat. Tucker took the single seat while Sam and Danny sat together with Danny by the window. The interior of the bus looked the same to most, except for the very front. The front of the bus honestly looked like the cockpit of a plane. Maddie pulled down a radio from the side of her headrest and spoke into it, having her voice come out of speakers along the roof of the bus.

"Alright students. Please hold on tight for this first bit while we actually get into the portal. Once we manage that, it'll be smooth sailing until we have to come back out!" Maddie pressed a button and the part of the backyard they were parked on moved downward until they were level with the floor of the basement, aimed directly at the ghost portal. Danny had been wondering how they would get through the portal in the first place. The bus inched forward and finally started to go through the portal. As they moved through, the students could see the lab out the back windows and the Ghost Zone out the front. Once fully through, the bus floated in place for a moment before it started moving forward smoothly. Danny had the feeling that moment of floatation was when they switched to a more Ghost Zone friendly form of transportation than wheels.

For an hour or two, everything was actually relatively peaceful. Danny's parents and classmates seemed to be enjoying themselves and they were also all as safe as possible. It seemed like the most preferred of all possible outcomes. Danny hated it. The Trio had learned after three years of Ghost Fighting that things never went well. Murphy's law was less of a law and more of an understatement when it came to their lives. Needless to say, they were the only ones not enjoying themselves. Danny had seen a total of five ghosts. At this point, they Trio almost hoped that something would go wrong so they understand what was happening and what they were supposed to do.

Danny almost changed his mind about that wish when his ghost sense went off again, this time warning him of a more powerful ghost than the ecto-puses they had been seeing.

"Attention handlers and passengers of this vehicle! It is a known law that real-world items are strictly prohibited. Come out with your hands where I can see them!" Every member of the Trio groaned. Fucking Walker. Danny looked around the bus where everyone was frozen in confusion. They had been told that they were not to leave the bus, so should they stay or should they go? Danny sighed and pulled on a fabric hood that hung off the collar of his jacket.

"I'll handle it. Sam, if you wouldn't mind." Danny gestured to the seat, making his intentions clear. Sam stood to let him out but shook her head while doing so.

"If you do something more stupid than usual-" She didn't have to say the rest, because Danny knew exactly what she would do. She would hit him then hug him and berate him while crying. She also didn't finish because Maddie yelled through the bus.

"Danny! Honey, don't do what it says!" Danny rolled his eyes and opened the door at the back of the bus before putting his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not, Mom! He can't see my hands." Danny smirked as he turned around and jumped out of the bus, floating naturally in the zone. "Walker! What do you think you're doing?" Danny was standing on top of the bus, facing the white-clad warden-ghost, who was floating in front of the bus with a number of his men standing in a crowd behind him. If it were physically possible, Danny would've thought that Walker stopped breathing for a moment out of sheer shock.

"I-you-but- You! You still have to serve out your sentence, boy." Danny rolled his eyes. So he liked to keep his status as the prince on the DL. He never expected that most of the ghosts would also be none the wiser, yet here he was. Later on, Danny knew he would laugh at the fact that one of his citizens attempted to arrest him, but for now, he was simply bored and tired.

"Didn't we already go over that? I thought all records of my sentence were destroyed along with your jail. You know the time. It was when you had a jailbreak." Walker growled.

"Get him, then get his friends. Those three all have some more years on their sentences. The rest are gonna get 100 years. I don't really care about them." Walker's men immediately rushed forward. Danny counted three that were aimed directly at him while all the rest went to get people out of the bus. Danny jumped down off the back of the bus and looked in the back door.

"He's not listening to reason, as usual. Tucker, you get my parents' defenses to target his men. Sam, you wanna join the good fight?" Sam smiled and had her wrist-ray form.

"I was hoping you'd ask." Danny smiled and pushed off the bus, rocketing himself at one of Walkers men. As he did so, he saw some of the green blasts from Sam hitting a number of ghosts who were getting closer to the bus. Danny punched and kicked and fought the goons who got too close to him while Sam blasted them. Danny noticed that at some point Tucker had managed to gain control of the bus' defense systems, meaning he was currently blasting ghosts with rays that had come out of the bus' roof.

"Sam!" Danny looked around, noticing a lack of white in his surroundings. "Where's Walker?" Sam quickly looked around as well before looking at Danny to reply. Before she said anything, however, her eyes grew wide in panic.

"Danny! Behind you!" Danny turned around and saw the very ghost he had just been looking for. At the same moment, Danny's side felt like it lit on fire while the rest of his body convulsed. He distantly heard a scream and belatedly realized that it was his own. The moment the pain stopped, Danny felt cuffs being slammed onto his wrists, pulling his arms behind his back, and also latched around his ankles. Danny looked down while the edges of his vision went black and saw that his ankles had a chain connecting them that also split upward, likely connecting to his wrists. Danny managed to turn his head around and saw Sam and Tucker already in similar positions while the rest of his class was leaving the bus for lack of a better option. Danny felt his head spin and the last of his vision started disappearing.

"Walker, you little bitch." Danny fell unconscious.


	4. Chapter 3 - Walker

Danny didn't remember much. Screaming. Pain. Someone laughing. Danny thought hard and remembered Walker trying, and failing, to pull off his bracelets. There was also plenty of pain on his chest and back. Danny managed to remember being chained up while Walker cut up his torso. Suddenly, Danny heard a woman yelling.

"-can't just tell us what we're doing wrong! We know what we're doing! You've never even been to the Zone before this! Hell, Mr. Lancer is the only one here who even knows who Pandora is!" Danny heard Sam yelling. Sam was being really loud. He didn't like it. Danny raised his head and took in his surroundings. His arms were chained above his head to a wall and his legs here hanging loosely. Danny was in a small room where the ceiling, floor, and three of the walls were nothing but stone. The last wall, which was opposite him, was a transparent green. Ecto-lasers. He was in a jail cell. On the other side of the cell hall, Danny saw two cells that met directly in the middle of where Danny's cell was. In the cell on the left, Danny saw all of his classmates and Mr. Lancer. Luckily, they weren't chained up so at least it would be easier to get them out. The cell on the right had Sam, Tucker, and his parents. Sam, Tucker, and Maddie had cuffs holding their arms behind their backs while Jack had his hands free. From what Danny could tell, Sam was screaming at his parents and Tucker was trying to calm her down while everyone else listened to what was happening in the other cell.

"Sam, babe, I get that you're upset to be here but could you maybe bring it down a bit?" Sam stopped yelling and everyone turned to Danny. Dash jumped to standing and ran forward, getting as close to Danny as he could without touching the green electricity on the front of their cell.

"Fenturd! What the hell, man? Since when do you know how to fight? You're supposed to just be some loser!" Danny dropped his head and sighed.

"Clockwork help me. Dash, shut up. You're in a world you don't understand." Danny lifted his head and looked at Sam and Tucker. "How long was I out?" The two looked at each other before Tucker replied.

"We've been here for three hours, but you've only been hanging there for one. Before he brought you, we heard you screaming. No guards have been seen. No other inmates, either. Although, you should know that you've already healed from whatever he did." Danny swore.

"He made sure there's no chance of a jailbreak this time." After a moment Danny started giggling to himself. "That idiot actually started learning. Ha! First, he Human-Proofed the walls, now he doesn't let me rally his prisoners against him! I think that's proof that he's actually capable of cohesive thought! I can't believe it!" Danny kept giggling to himself, only interrupted by Maddie.

"Wait. Danny, honey, have you been arrested by this ghost before?" Danny stopped and looked at his mother.

"He knows my name, he knows how to keep me from using any easy tricks for getting out, and I already have a 14,000-year sentence to live out. This probably bumped that up to 17,000. So, yes. I have, in fact, been Walkers prisoner in the past. There's no point in trying to hide it because he's most likely going to say something that will give it away." Danny used his feet against the wall as leverage and used his arms to pull himself up, getting high enough to look directly at his cuffs. "Damn. No lock. Guess they have to break." Danny pulled himself up further and eventually started pushing himself above the spot where his hands were chained. Once high enough up, Danny stomped on the chain holding his right hand to the wall and, luckily, broke one of the links. Danny then tugged on his left hand and discovered that the cuffs were held together by one chain that went in a small loop inside the wall, so it slipped out easily. Only a moment later, Danny had fallen to the ground. "Ow."

"Danno! You alright, son?" Danny stood up and dusted himself off.

"That was hardly more force than Dash slamming me against a locker. I'm fine. But seriously. What were you two thinking? Escorting a group of other people's children on a tour through the ghost zone? I mean, for clockwork sake, at least try to be responsible. You don't even know who Walker is and he lives right outside our portal! On top of that, you have no way of knowing where you are and no way of getting the ghosts to leave you alone! The only reason we didn't see any for the first couple of hours was because of luck!" Sam smiled. Danny had a feeling that he was yelling almost the same things she had been yelling only minutes before.

"Wait. Fentonail, how many times have you been in the Ghost Realm?" Danny sighed as he turned to Dash.

"I lost count. And because I know you're going to ask, so have Tucker and Sam." There was a moment of silence before Maddie spoke up.

"You've come to the Ghost Realm that much? Daniel, when your Father and I get you out of here, you will be grounded for-for-for as long as you live under our roof!" The Trio immediately started laughing.

"Mom, I've been awake for not even 5 minutes and I've already gotten myself almost completely free. You've been here for three hours and you haven't even gotten your hands out of cuffs. Speaking of getting free, you all need to close your eyes, cover your ears, and brace yourselves against something." Everyone did as he had said, seeing no point in refusing. Danny smiled and took a deep breath. A moment later, Danny released it, using his ghostly wail to break the wall in between the other two cells. Once he did so, the force fields on both cells fizzled out of existence. Danny timed himself and, once there was a break between two of the waves, turned to the side quickly, not hurting anyone else, but knocking down one of the walls to his side. Once done, Danny walked forward and tapped his mom's shoulder, who jumped away from him in surprise.

"Ah! Oh, Danny. Wait-how-you-what? Danny, honey, what did you just do?" Danny smiled as his mother looked around in confusion at the destroyed walls.

"That's for me to know and you to wonder." Danny walked over to the other cell and tapped Star's shoulder. "Would you mind helping me let everyone know that they can open their eyes?" Star, seeing that in only a few seconds Danny had destroyed two walls, eagerly assisted, tapping the shoulders of everyone she could reach. In a moment, everyone in both cells had opened their eyes and were now looking at Danny. "Perfect. Now, let's leave. Sam, you know the layout. Lead the group to the front of the jail. Tucker, you come with me. We're gonna have to get our stuff back from Walker. Not to mention he still has the Specter-Bus. We're going to need something to get everyone back to the portal." The two nodded and Tucker and Danny quickly ran off, away from the group. As they were running, they could hear Sam yelling at the group.

"You heard him! I'm leading you. So you're gonna follow. Now, come on! This way!" The sound of their footsteps following after her echoed as they ran in the opposite direction as Danny and Tucker.

The two talked until they finally found Walker's office. They stopped outside the door.

"Alright. You stay here and yell if there's any trouble. I'll deal with Walker." Tucker nodded and Danny opened the door, stepping into the office. and closing the door behind him. "Hey, Walker. How've you been?" The white-clad ghost stood from where he had been sitting behind his desk.

"You? How'd you get out of your cell, boy?" Danny shrugged.

"You know, if I didn't tell my own mother, I won't tell you. Now, we'll be taking our things and leaving." As Danny said the last sentence, he pulled off one of his bracelets, which he was grateful could only be removed by his own ecto-signature, and showed Walker his royal mark. "Is that understood?" Walker froze with a blank face, likely taking in what he had done. After a moment his eyes went wide and he fell to one knee, looking down in a bow.

"Sire, I apologize. I was not aware of your new status. I promise you, all of your belongings will be returned. I will also clear you and your friends from your charges. Please, spare me." Danny raised an eyebrow as he put the bracelet back on.

"Spare you? You don't have to beg for your afterlife, Walker. I'm not Pariah. Look, just stop arresting people unjustly. If they're unaware of the law, inform them and give them a fine or something. Don't arrest them for hundreds of years. Aso, stop making up laws just so you get to arrest them. If you want someone to arrest, but don't have anyone who needs arresting, that's a good thing. That means that everyone who isn't in your jail is a law-abiding citizen. Those are the times when you get a break. Enjoy those times. Deal?" Walker looked up as Danny held out his hand. Walker stood and apprehensively shook Danny's hand.

"Ahem, yes, your highness. Deal. It's a deal." Danny nodded and smiled.

"I'm still getting used to it myself, so stick with either Phantom or Danny. Hell, you can even keep calling me Kid." The next fifteen minutes went smoothly. Walker brought Tucker and Danny to the room where he kept prisoners belongings and returned all of the things he had taken from them over the years, including a Specter-Speeder and the Specter-Bus. "I'm sorry to inform you that, while I can return your vehicles, they're not in very good condition. You see, I never planned to return them, so I allowed some of my guards to collect parts from them. Even ghosts have hobbies and all that." Danny looked inside the bus while Tucker examined the Speeder and they both came to the same conclusion. Neither one of them would be able to work again, even with parts from the other. Too much had been taken. Danny sighed.

"I understand, just don't do it again. The things in this room are the belongings of the prisoners, so taking anything would be stealing. Keep that in mind for future reference. We can survive without them, but please refrain from such behavior in the future." Walker nodded solemnly.

"I promise you that none of these objects will be stolen and they will all be returned upon their owners' release." Danny smiled.

"Perfect." Tucker and Danny, now carrying two duffel bags each full of things that had been taken from them and their classmates, exited the Jail and walked up to the group. "Hey, guys! We've got your stuff. Also, you won't have to worry about him in the future." Danny and Tucker then went through everything in the duffel bags, returning the objects to their classmates.

"Hey." Danny looked up from where he was zipping up one of two duffel bags that had the Trio's things in it. Standing above him was Sam, who was crossing her arms and had an expression that meant she wanted to talk. Danny stood up and stepped a little away from the crowd with her. "How'd you do that? You expect me to believe that Walker practically let you go? You're not telling me something and I want to know what." Danny chuckled.

"We'll just say that he finally realizes he's never gonna be able to stop me. Also, I scared him a bit." Sam raised her eyebrow.

"Oh really? How?" Danny stared at his girlfriend for a second, trying to figure out what to say, until Tucker appeared next to them.

"Danny, how'd you do that? You just stepped into Walkers officed and a minute later he's acting like you're best buds!" Danny sighed. Those two together would figure out that something was up, so Danny decided to give them a half-truth.

"Fine. You got me. I recently did some extra training with Frostbite and came upon some new powers. To simplify, there's literally no way Walker could keep me locked up. So, he gave up. He realized that he would never be victorious so we decided to form a truce. Simple as that." Tucker seemed to accept the answer, but Danny could see some suspicion in Sam's eyes. Before he could say anything, though, Tucker clapped them both on the shoulders.

"Well, I'll go break the news that we have to walk from here on out to the group. You two lovebirds can have a moment." Danny shook his head and smiled and Tucker walked away. Sam, on the other hand, whipped her head to look at Danny.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Danny shrugged.

"No speeder, No bus. We have to walk. I'm thinking we head over to Dora's domain and ask if she has anything that could help us. Either her or Pandora. They're equally close by and even along the same path for most of the way." Sam nodded in understanding.

"Okay. I think we should go to Dora. She doesn't consider you her adoptive son. Also, Dani is with Pandora fairly often. It would be safer for your identity." Danny swore.

"I forgot about that. Alright. We'll ask Dora for some help. Let's just hope she's not dealing with her misogynistic brother turning into a dragon again." Sam laughed.

"I'm just hoping that he doesn't try to marry me again. I already have you, and I don't think it would be good for you to be brother-husbands." Danny laughed loudly and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders as they walked back to the group.

"Alright, everyone! We're pretty far away from the Portal, now that Walker arrested us, so we're gonna have to walk to the home of another ghost and get some help. Don't worry, this one's a friendly, but it'll take about two days to get to her. Just follow me and do what I tell you. That way, everything should run smoothly. So, let's get a move on. We'll rest soon, but we want to make some progress first." The group groaned. "I know, but the longer we're here the worse for your health. So, let's go." Danny started leading the group down a dirt path that wound around the ghost zone. They were practically roads in the zone, but entirely useless for anything other than landmarks. Unless you were a flightless human or Johnny 3 on his motorcycle.

After three hours of walking, Danny could no longer ignore his classmates' complaints. "Hey, Tuck. What time is it?" Tucker looked at his PDA.

"Holy Shit. It's 4:07. We should be home by now." Danny sighed and stopped walking, turning to his classmates.

"Alright! We'll rest here for an hour then get back to it, so take advantage of your break while you've got it! After that, we'll keep walking until 9, then rest for the night." Most of his classmates had already collapsed to rest their feet, so Danny, Tucker, and Sam stepped a little ways away to talk out of earshot. The Trio sat on the ground, Danny and Sam leaning against a large boulder while Tucker faced them.

"Alright, let's talk." Tucker put his PDA in his pocket and leaned forward. "Now's as good a time to ask as any. What're those?" Tucker had leaned back, throwing his arms forward while imitating the vine. Danny looked where Tucker's hands were pointing and noticed that he was asking about the bracelets.

"They're bracelets. I started wearing them a while back. Now it's just a habit, I guess." Sam leaned forward and made Danny look at her.

"You're not one to accessorize. Besides, those aren't your style. What's the truth? I've never even seen you take them off since I first noticed them." Danny sighed. This was turning into an interrogation, fast. He knew he wasn't going to escape this trip with all his secrets intact, so he would rather his friends new a little more than everyone knows everything.

"Fine. Whatever." Danny pulled off the bracelets and let his friends see the rings around his wrists, but kept the crowns facing the ground. "They showed up when I developed my new abilities with Frostbite. I've kept them hidden because they look like tattoos and I don't want anyone questioning them." Sam grabbed one of Danny's wrists and looked at the lines carefully. As soon as she did, Danny felt some kind of energy start moving from his wrist to her fingertips and pulled his hand away. The moment he pulled away, Danny felt the spot where the crown was located start to tingle and flipped over his hand. On the inside of his wrist, the Crown had started moving along the lines, the entire mark turning around his wrist. Danny shoved his hand at Sam. "Do that again." Sam hesitated before holding taking Danny's wrist back into her hands. The Trio watched in fascination as the Crown moved counter-clockwise toward the front of Danny's wrist. Once the tattoo had turned a full 180 degrees, the lines started to move up toward his fingertips, the crown moving along the one that reached to the tip of his pointer finger.

"Woah." Sam pressed her hand against Danny's, palm to palm, completely out of some instinct that neither one of them knew they had. The lines moved from Danny's fingertips and slowly extended down Sam's fingers, eventually wrapping around her wrist. The Crown settled between the tips of their pointer fingers and duplicated, leaving a Crown on each of their fingertips. The two pulled their hands away and looked at their wrists as each of their crowns and lines moved to be in the same position as both of Danny's marks had been only minutes before. "What did you guys just do? Also, how'd you do that?" The two, who now both had royal marks, turned to Tucker. "You just gave Sam your tattoo."

"I didn't know I was able to do that. I thought they were fixed in place." Sam started laughing.

"Oh, my clockwork. I have a tattoo that can move. My parents are gonna be so pissed." The Trio all laughed together. Danny froze, however, as he made a realization. He had just given Sam the royal seal of the Ghost Zone. Did that mean she was a royal in the Zone? Were they both royal? What was her title? Princess? Were they just both royal or were they some kind of married? Wait, what would they do if they were? Didn't Princes become Kings once they married? Was Danny King? He was getting confused.

"We need to talk to someone who knows more about the Ghost Zone than us. I think we're gonna have to change our plans and head to Pandora's realm." Tucker furrowed his eyebrows.

"Dude, why? Also, won't that add time to our trip?" Danny shook his head.

"No, we'd be here if we had decided to go to Pandora instead. It's the same path most of the way, except for the last half-hour or so. I'm only saying that Pandora might be able to explain what just happened. She has been in the zone since before Pariah, after all. We'll just hope that she realizes to keep the adopted family stuff on the DL." Needless to say, they changed their plans. So what if they were only switching because they had a separate agenda. Nobody would realize that they were actually switching plans. The Trio discussed how they would handle getting food and water for their classmates for the rest of the hour until an alarm Tucker had set told them it was time to keep walking. Danny put his bracelet back on and Sam put on a wrist-ray to cover her own tattoo before the Trio stood and Danny addressed the class.

"Hey! It's time to get back at it. We still have a bit of a way to go, so we should cover more ground while we can." Danny's classmates groaned and complained, but only a few minutes later they were walking again. Hopefully, it wouldn't take them too long to get to Pandora's realm.


	5. Chapter 4 - Skulker

4 hours of walking later, Danny had the class stop walking. "We'll rest here for the night. I know we're hungry, but I'm gonna get something to eat. Just stay here and do what Sam and Tucker tell you to." Danny grabbed an empty duffel and jumped off the path, gliding to a nearby island that Danny recognized. It happened to be an island that Danny had stored a large supply of human objects on, including food and water because he was paranoid. Once on the island, Danny found a large pile of rocks and moved one that revealed a small cave with the real-world object. Luckily, there were two loaves of bread, three boxes of pop tarts, and a package of 24 water bottles. Danny opened the duffel and put all the food inside, mentally reminding himself to restock the stash after this whole ordeal was over.

As Danny glided through the air toward his classmates, Danny felt some chills run along his back before a small puff of air exited his mouth. Danny hurried to the path, letting himself use his powers a little in order to get there faster, and landed next to his parents. Danny threw the duffel at Sam and Tucker, who immediately checked how much food each person would get and started handing out rations. Meanwhile, Danny was looking around, scanning for whatever set off his ghost sense. The Halfa quickly crouched down to speak with his mother.

"Mom, stay alert. We may be resting, but that doesn't mean we're safe." Danny decided not to explain why he was on edge, but Maddie agreed with him either way, discreetly pulling out one of her smaller guns and holding it in a way that none of the other children would notice. Danny walked back to Sam and Tucker, who were now done handing out the rations, and sat down with them, looking around all the while.

"What's wrong?" Tucker was looking at Danny worriedly.

"My Ghost Sense went off, but I can't see any ghosts nearby. It's got me on edge." Both of his friends immediately straightened, scanning what was in their sight to see if they might spot whatever it was. Sam, after turning to look everywhere she could, looked back at Danny and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. If nothing has happened by now, it was probably an ecto-pus or something equally as weak." Danny nodded and smiled at his friends before eating his food. Danny noticed his ration was smaller than everyone else's, but it wouldn't be a problem because he ate half as much ever since he died.

An hour later, most of Danny's classmates were asleep. Sam and Tucker had both fallen asleep and Danny was preparing to lay down between the two and join them in their slumber when his Father walked over.

"Your mom and I are planning to take the first two watches. You can never trust a ghost, after all. Could you maybe see if we could do some tests on any ghosts? Getting to study them in their natural habitat would be great." Danny sighed and laid down, curling onto his side between his two friends.

"We'll see, Jack." Danny's father, after shaking off the shock of his son calling him by his first name, then went to where his wife slept and took up first watch.

Danny woke up to a chill down his back and a puff of freezing air exiting his mouth. His ghost sense. Danny sat up and looked around, seeing that Mr. Lancer was currently watching for potential threats. The teacher noticed movement and, upon seeing Danny, smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Fenton." Danny stood up and groaned at the pain in his shoulder from sleeping on dirt. In only a moment, the two were sitting together, now both watching for any threats.

"Go on. I know you have questions. I'll answer them to the best of my ability." Mr. Lancer stared at the Halfa as his ghost sense went off a second time. "Hold that thought." Danny picked up a rock and threw it at Sam and Tucker, hitting Tucker's head hard enough to wake him up.

"Huh? Wha-who-huh? Oh, hey Danny. Hey, Mr. Lancer. What's happenin'?" Danny waved and pointed at Sam tiredly.

"Wake Sam up. We're gonna have company soon and I'd prefer to have some help." Tucker's groggy motions immediately switched to be alert as he shook Sam's shoulder. When she didn't wake up, Tucker quickly pinched her nose and waited for her to wake up. When she did, she hit him before walking over and sitting down behind Danny, wrapping her arms his waist and resting her forehead between his shoulder blades.

"Explain him." Danny laughed and patted the goth's hands.

"I told him to wake you up. Someone's nearby and we need to be ready in case they aren't friendly." Sam sat up, releasing Danny's waist and looked around. Tucker stepped over with a grimace.

"I found out who it is." The teen turned his PDA toward his two friends to show them a series of lines and numbers that they honestly didn't understand. "It's Skulker's Ecto-Signature. Really close, too. He's getting closer. I'm guessing we have about 1 minute until he shows up." Danny and Sam both grimaced as well. Danny quickly threw another rock, this time at his Father who immediately woke up long enough to yell something about pudding and ghosts before he fell back asleep. Luckily, his yell was loud enough to wake up most of Danny's classmates. Danny looked around and scanned the area once more.

"Hey, Tucker. How many weapons do we have in those duffels?" The tech-loving teen quickly ran and grabbed the two duffel bags.

"Enough." Danny smiled and noticed that now most of his classmates were awake. Sam and Maddie were now trying to wake up Jack and Danny assumed his girlfriend had informed the woman of what they were expecting.

Danny heard a small mechanical whirring nearby and turned around, only to see Skulker flying toward the group at top speed. Tucker quickly threw the weapons from inside the Duffel Bags at the students, yelling for them to use them for defense. Before they could grab any of the weapons, however, everyone was distracted by a loud, gravelly voice.

"Do not try to fight, welp! Finally, I will have your pelt!" Everyone turned to see a mechanical ghost with flaming green hair floating above the path. Danny quickly turned to his friends and yelled.

"Guys, Sierra!" The two nodded and smiled before the Trio put their plan into action. Tucker ran forward and bent down on one knee facing Sam, who then started running at him. She put one of her feet in Tucker's hands, which he threw upward, throwing her towards Skulker. Danny jumped and, using some of his powers, soared through the air. Sam and Danny met in the air, about 10 feet away from Skulker, and Danny grabbed her waist, throwing her forward with extra force.

Sam slammed into Skulker's head and took it fully off, while Danny dived forward to grab Skulkers true form, a tiny green blob that was hidden in his suit. Danny landed and reached into the neck of Skulkers suit, pulling the tiny creature out and holding him up in front of his face.

"Did you really have to? There are plenty of ghosts for you to hunt. You really didn't have to come after me right now." Skulkers thrashed and tried to hit and kick Danny's hand and arm.

"I'll catch you someday! I promise you that, welp!" Danny sighed and switched to Latin, the language of the ghosts.

"Audi, ego nunc in regiis exspiravit. Vos postulo hoc facere nolite. Quare nec aliquid de Nobis operatur? (Listen, I'm a ghost royal now. You need to stop doing this. Why don't we work something out?)" Skulker stopped fighting and looked at Danny suspiciously.

" Et circa hoc quod non audistis me? (Then why haven't I heard about it?)" Danny heard a sound of confusion and looked to the side only to see his classmates all staring at him with varying levels of confusion.

"We'll finish this later. Just leave me alone for the next couple of days, then we'll talk about a more long-term deal. Understood?" Danny put a finger near Skulker for him to shake. The small green ghost grumbled out a tiny 'Fine' and shook Danny's finger with both of his hands. "Good, I'm going to put you back in your suit and you're going to leave without causing anybody any harm, whether it be physical, spiritual, verbal, or emotional. Deal?"

"Fine. I accept the conditions of our agreement." Danny smiled and dropped him back into his suit before grabbing the head, which Sam had placed next to the suit, and attached it. In a moment, Skulker was powering up his body and glaring at Danny. "I will not cause you or your class any harm for the next 3 days. If they are still in the zone by then, I will have a new hunt." Danny shrugged.

"They'll be gone by then anyway, so deal. See ya around, Skulker." The robotic ghost grunted and flew away, leaving Danny to deal with his confused classmates.

"Hey, Fentonail!" Danny turned and saw Dash start walking to the front of the group. "What the hell was that? You started talking all funny-like!" Danny sighed.

"That was Latin. It's the language of the dead. Every ghost understands it, so I learned it to better communicate in case they don't know English." Most of Danny's classmates caught on to the small tone in Danny's voice that clearly meant his two friends had not learned the language. "That was Skulker, by the way. He was a hunter in his life, so now he hunts in his death. For those of you who were wondering, we have dealt with him before. Also, he considers me one of his prey, but we struck a deal so he'll leave all of us alone for the next few days. Let's get going now that we're all awake."

Danny turned around and started walking down the path, leaving the others no option but to follow. Sam stayed behind while Tucker ran forward to speak with Danny. "Hey, man. You should know something." Danny looked at his friend as they walked side by side.

"What's up?" Tucker smiled shyly.

"Well, you were right when you kind of insinuated that Sam and I haven't learned Latin. There's someone here who does know it, though." Danny barely managed to catch his footing and whipped his head around, looking at Tucker with wide eyes.

"Who?" The tech-obsessed teen frowned.

"Mr. Lancer. By the way, my PDA translated what you said for me. What the hell? Are you really Pariah's replacement?" This time, Danny stopped walking entirely.

"WHAT? Tucker! If you knew, why didn't you tell me?" Tucker groaned.

"I'm telling you now! Do you really think I'm the type to not tell you? Dude, I want to know more! Give me some information!" Danny sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, but while we walk." The two turned and continued down the path, their classmates had never stopped and continued following them. "What do you want to know?" Tucker smiled.

"Okay, let's start simple. When did you find out and how did it happen?" As the group walked, Danny continued to fill Tucker in. At some point, Sam had joined, but Danny had already explained the marks, meaning she didn't know that they might both be royals. Or be married, or engaged or whatever the mark sharing thing meant.

Eventually, off to the side, Everybody could see a large floating island with various greek and roman style buildings on it. There were also various gardens and open areas where they could see the ghosts of Greek and Roman soldiers sparring or walking around. Once the group was on the part of the path that was closest to the island, Danny stopped and turned around.

"So, this island is Pandora's Kingdom. In case you didn't catch that, I said Pandora, as in Pandora's box. Sam, Tucker, and I know her fairly well so she'll most likely help us. To get to her island, you're going to have to fly." There was a ripple of murmurs through the group. "Yeah, fly. In the ghost zone, we're the ghosts. We can fly and go through solid objects. The first step, leave the path. The second step, float. The third step, move. Watch." Danny calmly walked to the edge of the path and stepped off, letting the ghost zone catch him and let him float. "You all do the same, please. Just remember to trust the ghost zone and let it catch you. That's the most important thing."

One by one, Danny's classmates stepped off of the path and, after a moment of falling, began to hover in place. When it came time for Star to step off, she stepped and fell for a moment before continuing to fall. Danny dove downward as he heard her cry out in fear. Danny saw Star's hair wave in front of her face and some slipped into her mouth, cutting off her screams as she coughed. Danny slipped down behind Star and caught her against himself, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her steady.

"Are you okay?" Star was shaking like a leaf, and Danny could hear her teeth chattering in fear. "Don't worry, that's perfectly normal. Some people just need a little extra time to fly. It's definitely hard to get used to." As Danny began moving upward, back to the rest of the class, Star yelped at the movement and grabbed onto Danny's arms. "Just relax. Can you try to calm down?" Danny continued to move upward slowly, letting Star get used to moving on something that wasn't solid.

"I don't think I can do the floaty thing. It-I have a fear of heights. Please don't make me." Star closed her eyes and curled up. Danny mentally swore. He had completely forgotten about Star's hatred of feeling high up. He had discovered it during a fight with youngblood a while back and tried to keep it in his mind on school trips and such, but he had forgotten this one time. Danny floated to the path and gently set Star down, speaking with her while the others were still getting used to flying.

"God, Star. I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about your fear. If you want, someone could carry you. You could even close your eyes the whole time. It won't even be a whole minute. Do you think that would help?" Star looked at Danny's eyes in awe.

"You know? How did you find out? I made sure to never tell anybody. Paulina says it makes me weak." Danny sighed and put a hand on Star's shoulder.

"I found out in freshman year and decided to help you from afar. No matter what, though. Being scared of something does not make you weak. After everything you've seen on this godforsaken trip, would you say I'm weak?" Star shook her head slowly. "Well, I'm deathly afraid of crowds. It's one of the reasons I prefer not being popular and why I always sleep further away from the group. Fewer people. Do you think that makes me weak?" Star shook her head a second time, this one more confident than before.

"I still think I'm weak, though. I mean, you've proven that you're strong. What have I done?" Danny smiled and pointed at the others, all still floating around.

"You faced your fear. You stepped off that ledge, even though it scared you half to death. I can't say the same. I already told you I avoid my fear. I think you're even stronger than I am. So, what would you prefer for getting across?" Star's face pinched forward in thought until she looked up at Danny questioningly.

"Could you carry me? I already know you can and don't want to take any risks." Danny chuckled.

"Alright. Sure. Just try not to shift your weight too much. You may be small, but you could still throw me off my path. We won't fall, but there might be some turbulence. You okay with that?" Star nodded decisively, which prompted Danny to turn around and get on one knee. "Climb on my back. It should be more comfortable for both of us. You can also hide your face if you get too scared." Star barely hesitated to climb onto Danny's back, quickly hiding her face when they started floating.

Danny flew in front of the class. "Come on. Try to land where I do. It would be better for us to be together." Danny turned around from looking at the class and started flying forward, going slow enough for the group to follow him. Jack quickly managed to float forward, next to Danny.

"So, Danno. Wanna tell me about this place?" Danny sighed and spoke loudly for more people to hear.

"This is Pandora's kingdom. You might've noticed that it's designed after Grecian architecture and has many open areas for sparring and gardens. Pandora, the Queen of this kingdom, is known for being the first woman as well as the owner of what's known as Pandora's box. Her box is filled with every horrible thing you could possibly imagine, and even more that you couldn't. Pandora's realm is filled with almost every greek being that you can imagine from mythology. Including, but not limited to, Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus, Homer, and Ulysses. There are also plenty of people who never became famous myths or legends, but were soldiers nonetheless. There are also various artists and people who have been influenced by the muses. Speaking of which, the Muses are here too. The muses are named Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Calliope. They're quite nice. If we encounter any of them, I'm sure you'll like them." Danny finally was close enough to the Island that he could move his feet back under him and land softly before helping Star off his back.

Danny waited and watched as his classmates, parents, and teacher all had varying success in landing. Danny quietly felt pleased that Dash fell flat on his face, whereas Jack and Maddie both landed almost perfectly. Danny's father approached him. "You know a lot about this place." Danny smiled, more comfortable now that they were in Pandora's kingdom.

"I should hope so. I spend more time here than any other island in the ghost zone. The only place I spend more time visiting is a building out of time." Danny's words confused anyone who had heard his response, but he chose to ignore it and address the group as a whole. "If you'll follow me, please, we'll go to Pandora's castle. While we do so, I'm going to ask that you don't bother the locals. Remember the two things the Greeks were known for. Eating and Killing." As Danny turned around to start walking, he quickly assessed where they were on the island and figured out where he would need to go.

"Excuse me. So sorry. Pardon me." Danny looked back and saw Mr. Lancer making his way through the students to talk with the halfa. The teacher quickly caught up with Danny and began to speak with him, far enough forward and quiet enough that the others couldn't overhear. "Mr. Fenton. I'm not sure if you're aware, but I speak Latin." Danny sighed.

"So I've heard. Mr. Lancer, if you could not talk about what you heard, that would be great. It's a bit of a secret." Mr. Lancer looked back to make sure nobody would hear and whispered.

"Daniel, you said that you're a ghost royal. I don't know what that is, but I can imagine that it would involve being a ghost, as well as a royal in the ghost hierarchy. If you don't mind me asking, Daniel, are you dead?" Danny barely managed to stay calm. He could hear sirens in his head and saw flashing red lights coming from behind his eyes. His palms suddenly got sweaty and his knees almost gave out. Danny barely managed to walk forward and it took great effort to speak.

"I would rather not talk about it in such a public place. Why don't we just act like everything is normal for now? Once there's a better time where we can speak in private, then we'll discuss this. Does that sound good?" Danny was trying to delay the conversation. If Mr. Lancer figured it out, that meant one more person who might tell his secret. However, it would also mean he might not get as many detentions. Danny felt a conflict grow in his mind. What should he tell Mr. Lancer?


	6. Chapter 5 - Pandora and the Greeks

"It's Vasilios!" Danny had been leading the group through the streets and paths of Pandora's realm for about 15 minutes when a yell sounded from a blacksmith's workshop that they were walking past. As Danny looked over, he saw none other than one of the Greeks he had made friends with, Barak. Danny had been renamed Astrapí by most of the kingdom because it meant lightning, the very thing that had killed him. Danny sighed. Barak had always been a loud, outgoing person, even in life. The downside to this was that he had difficulty keeping secrets. Vasilios, Barak's nickname for Danny, meant 'with royal blood'.

"Hey, Kadupul!" Danny stepped over to the large man and shook his hand. "You ever manage to make that sword you were working last time we spoke?" Barak was a blacksmith who had hair that was permanently dyed black from ash and smoke and dark brown eyes. He was known amongst those he had made friends with as 'Kadupul', after a very rare flower that only blooms at night, because he was notorious for being awake when all others sleep.

"I did!" Barak pointed at a large sword with a leather-bound hilt that hung above his door. "Look at her! I decided to name her Epitetheís. Whadd'ya think?" Danny smiled and looked at his friend.

"It's amazing! Also, great name. 'Attacker'. I like it. You plan on using her in the Tournament eventually?" Barak laughed. He and Danny liked to often take part in the Gladiator Tournament that was used to entertain many of the civilians, as well as royals. Danny, however, was not allowed to use his powers and had to use only what he knew as a human.

"I plan on using her in my next match against you! Epitetheís' infused with ecto-energy! You'll finally lose." Danny smiled and reached out his fist, speaking as Barak hit it with his own.

"I'm undefeated, Kadupul. You'll win against me the same day you live again." The two laughed before Danny continued. "But, in all seriousness, I need to get going. I'm taking this group to Pandora." Barak looked at the group and, upon spotting Sam, laughed.

"Ah, meet the parents?" Danny laughed.

"You know they've already met. But we do need to leave. I'll see you soon, okay?" Barak waved and stepped back into his workshop.

"You sure will! See ya!" Danny smiled and turned to his class, teacher, and parents.

"Sorry about that. Barak's a good friend. Anyway, let's keep going." Danny turned around and continued to lead the group through the streets toward the large Palace that Pandora lived in, along with rooms for Danny and Dani to stay whenever they wanted to. Her palace was built quite similarly to the 'Palace of the Grand Master and the Knights of Rhodes' after Danny showed her a picture of it and she had her own palace redone in a similar fashion. She claimed it had needed updating anyway. Danny knew she was just jealous of how nice the palace looked.

"Danny?" The boy looked to his left and saw his Mother walking beside him with an emotionless face. "We need to talk. Since when have you been coming to the Ghost Zone?" Danny sighed.

"It's not a good time for that talk, Maddie." The woman froze and stopped walking for a moment, shocked at her son's use of her first name. The group continued on, following Danny through the streets.

"Maddie? You okay, baby?" Maddie jumped and looked to her side, only to see Jack standing there with a worried look on his face.

"Yes. I'm fine, Jack. Danny is just- he's acting strangely." Mr. Lancer stepped up next to them.

"I've noticed this as well. What do you say we discuss as we traverse whatever path your son has laid out for us?" Only moments later, the three adults were wandering after the students slowly, making sure they were far enough behind that nobody could hear them, but they could still follow.

"My boy, a friend with ghosts. I can't believe it. I don't know how I'm not going insane right now. There are so many ghosts around." Mr. Lancer hummed.

"You bring up an interesting topic. How is your son so comfortable around ghosts, yet he seems to disappear in fear every time one is near? It would seem young Daniel is not telling any of us as much as we would hope." Suddenly, a voice was behind them.

"Probably because he has no reason to trust you. What are you three doing in my Mamá's Kingdom? Not to mention the Ghost Zone." The three adults turned and saw a young girl standing there with her hands on her hips. She had white hair in a ponytail and glowing green eyes, as well as a flowing black Chiton covering her body. Maddie squinted in confusion.

"Excuse me, young lady. Who do you think you are, speaking to us like that?" The girl grimaced at the woman's tone.

"I'm Pandora's daughter and princess of this realm. Why are you here?" Lancer and Maddie froze at what Jack replied.

"Oh! You must know my son, Danny! He said he's a good friend of Pandora's!" After a moment of silence, the girl smiled.

"I do, actually. He and I are close. Follow me, you're too far behind to follow whatever group you were with. You're going to the Palace, right?" The three adults all nodded and followed the small ghost-girl through the streets. "I'm Dani, by the way. Everybody calls me Défteros though. You can't. Also, you're Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton, and Mr. Lancer, so don't bother introducing yourselves." The three adults turned to each other in confusion. Jack spoke.

"How do you know who we are?" Dani was silent for a moment before she replied.

"I keep tabs on people who could become a problem for those I care about. And yes, ghosts can care about others. It's called emotions. We were once alive, after all." Mr. Lancer hummed in thought for a moment.

"Miss, if you don't mind me asking, is Daniel the one you care about?" Maddie watched Dani's shoulders tense slightly. Lancer was right. Dani continued to lead the adults through the streets of Post-Greece.

"Yes. As I said earlier, He and I are very close. Astrapí has helped me in many difficult situations." Maddie, Jack, and Lancer looked at each other with questioning glances. Danny had helped ghosts? That didn't seem to fit in very well with what they'd seen on the trip. "Stop with the looks. Some ghosts are good. Some are bad. Most are somewhere in between. Just like humans. I'm a good ghost, therefore Danny helps me out once in a while. He fights the bad ones, though. Like the law enforcement in the real world. Help the good, stop the bad, figure out what everyone else is." When Dani stopped talking, the small group realized they were standing in front of a large building with various pillars and intricate designs, all reminiscent of ancient Greece. They knew without a doubt that it was the palace, not because of the building itself, but the fact that Danny was speaking with a guard that stood at the front gate. Mr. Lancer was immensely relieved to see that his students were all there, not a single one harmed. As the four approached, they heard Danny raise his voice.

"What are you talking about? I never approved Défteros getting appro-" Before he could finish, Dani jumped on Danny's back from behind, yelling his Greek name. "Woah!" The two fell to the ground in a pile of laughter. "Défteros! You're here!" The girl laughed.

"I'm the one who should be surprised! You're lucky I ran into this group of humans. They fell behind and couldn't follow you anymore." Danny rolled onto his back and looked over Dani's shoulder as she smiled down at him from where she straddled his waist.

"Oh shit. I didn't even notice. Thanks, kid." Dani rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Yeah, yeah. What are you doing here, though? With all these Humans, I mean." Danny stood up quickly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah, them. Well, it's a long story. Can I tell you inside?" Danny motioned his head toward the Palace and the two started walking up to the main entrance. Danny retold the story of how they got where they were while his classmates, parents, and teacher approached the Palace in awe. Even Paulina was impressed.

"So, you're saying you did all of that and didn't contact me once?" Dani crossed her arms and faced Danny with a pout as they stood in front of the entrance.

"Oh come on." Danny waved his hand at the door. Suddenly, the large double doors were surrounded by a green glow as they swung inward, revealing a large foyer with an elegant stone staircase. On either side of the room were two doors, both a light blue, while the walls were a dull yellow, like sandstone. "I couldn't contact you. If I could've, I would've. You know I love to keep you up to date on the insanity of my life." The two Danny's laughed and started walking inside, Danny's classmates trailing after them, wondering how insane Danny's life could possibly be. They all stopped as footsteps echoed from the staircase. Danny smiled when he saw that Pandora was approaching with a smile.

"Astrapí? Oh, my boy! You did not warn me that you were visiting! And who might they be? Your friends?" Danny ran forward. Pandora reached the bottom of the staircase and wrapped her arms around Danny.

"Sorry that I didn't warn you. I wasn't expecting to be here. This is my class from school. They're humans." Danny stepped to the side and motioned to his classmates. Sam and Tucker both walked forward and bowed.

"It's good to see you again, Pandora. I'm only sorry it had to be under these conditions." Pandora laughed at Sam's diplomatic tone.

"You and I both know we need not be so formal. Come here!" Pandora's arms wrapped around the goth. Pandora quickly turned Sam around and examined her limbs, torso, head, and clothing. "I see you've not come to harm. That makes me very happy indeed." Pandora quickly checked over Tucker in the same way before addressing the full group. "Welcome to my Palace. I am sure that you will be needing rest and will gladly provide rooms. We have plenty. We also have plenty of food that can be prepared. I'm sure you're hungry." Pandora stopped talking as Dash yelled.

"Why do ghosts have human food?" Pandora smiled and nodded at Dani who jumped at the chance to explain.

"Actually, even though we're ghosts, we can still eat and taste human food. It doesn't fill us up at all, but we don't need to be filled up because we don't get hungry. Some ghosts eat out of habit, but most eat because they like the taste. Here, it's a tradition. We are greek after all." Pandora, Dani, the Trio, and Mr. Lancer all laughed, as well as a small number of Danny's classmates.

"Ah! Kori, you've reminded me! On the topic of tradition, tomorrow is our monthly gladiator games! Every living month, we have a great tournament for all the fighters in the kingdom. They battle one another and, by the end, we have a champion. Astrapí has been-" The boy in question quickly jumped up on Pandora's back and slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Nope. Not doing that. Anyways, why don't I take you guys to the guest rooms? You need some rest." Danny jumped back to the ground and smiled at his classmates. "Let's go." Suddenly, Kwan yelled.

"Hold on! What was she about to say?" Dani ran out of Danny's reach and laughed.

"He's been champion plenty of times! A match for even Achilles himself! Ajax the Great has been wounded by Astrapís sword more times than I can count! And his weapon skills are incredible! Did you know that he once beat Prometheus with nothing but a bow and quiver of arrows? He's one of the best students Chiron has ever had! If I got the chance, I wo-woah!" Danny had run after Dani and finally tackled her.

"You little monster. I'll get you for that!" Danny and Dani wrestled for a moment before Danny trapped his clone underneath him. "Really, Défteros? Can't you tell when I don't want them to know something? They're my classmates! From the Human Realm!" Dani giggled.

"Well, you aren't exactly good at keeping secrets. I thought I would just get that over with. Besides, you are staying to fight tomorrow, right? You do every month. It would've gotten out soon enough either way." By the end of her sentence, Dani had stopped giggling and begun speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. Danny groaned and stood up, letting Dani float at eye-level.

"You really expect me to fight this month? I have to get my class, teacher, and parents out of the GZ. I'm busy." Dani pouted as the two started walking and floating, respectively, back to the rest of the group.

"You're always busy. That's never stopped you before." Dani brought back her legs and rested on Danny's shoulders, who instinctively grabbed the girls legs. "Please? Please, please, please? Please, Danny, please? Please, please, please, please, please-" Danny groaned loudly and cut his clone off.

"Fine. God, just don't do that thing again. Last time you did it for a week." Dani rested her weight against Danny's head as they were finally only a few feet away from the group.

"Well, I wanted a puppy. Besides, it worked, didn't it?" Danny sighed set Dani on the ground.

"Kid, you got Cujo. He turns into a giant overprotective-monster-guard-dog-ghost. I wouldn't call that a puppy." Dani shrugged.

"Protective-ghost-dog, puppy, same difference." Mr. Lancer was suddenly standing behind the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but, earlier, did you say that Daniel was trained by Chiron? As in the centaur?" Danny huffed.

"Yeah. Chiron. Son of Kronos, eldest and wisest of the centaurs, mentor of Jason, Asklepios, Aristaios, Achilles, and now me. Big deal. Can we show you guys to the guest rooms now." Paulina whined from the middle of the group.

"Yes. Take us to the guest rooms. I need to rest my poor aching feet. You don't want me to be in pain, do you?" Danny rolled his eyes, making Sam chuckle.

"Yeah, Babe. Don't make Paulina stand. It's obviously torturing her." The trio and Dani laughed, accompanied by some stray chuckles in the group of students. Pandora smiled warmly at the children.

"Despite the humor in her request, your classmate makes a good point. Défteros, could you please guide these students to the guest wing? I can take the adults to separate rooms if they would like." Jack laughed.

"You can't get us, Ghost! We stay together so we can stay safe!" Pandora leaned back in shock before her warm smile returned.

"I understand. You are a Father. You feel the need to protect. My Husband, Epimetheus, was the same way. I am only sad that he did not come here upon his death as I did." Danny and his clone looked at the ground solemnly, both knowing that Pandora had been brokenhearted when none of her loved ones came over with her. "But, that is another matter. Défteros, could you please guide our guests to the guest wing. Astrapí, Sam, Tucker. You three can go to your private rooms. Luckily, they were cleaned this morning." The four that Pandora had addressed all nod or bow and the Trio leave to their rooms. As they walk, Danny freezes.

"Hold on, I'm gonna quick ask Pandora to go come to my room so we can all talk about the tattoos." Tucker makes a face that shows he had forgotten the entire reason they came to Pandora's. Danny quickly turned and jogged back to Pandora. "Hey, Mamá, we've got something important to talk to you about. Could you come to my room and meet with us?" Pandora's calm facade slipped into worry for a moment.

"Of course." Pandora turned to Dani. "Défteros, please show the group where they can stay, make sure they are comfortable." Dani nodded and waved to Danny's classmates, inviting them to follow as she walked away. Danny stopped watching his classmates leave when Pandora's large strides led her to Danny's room.

After a totally silent walk, Danny's classmates, teacher, and parents were all stopped in a circular room. All along the wall were various-colored doors with large marble pillars between them. The center of the room had a myriad of pillows and couches and various places to lounge about. Some of the students couldn't help but think it looked similar to the possible interior of a genie lamp.

"This is where you will be staying as long as you're here. We hope it's to your liking. Each of the rooms is mostly identical to the others, except for the color schemes. The two rooms on either side of the entrance are for the adults. Each has a double bed, so that shouldn't be a problem. Any questions?" Star raised her hand before speaking.

"Where did Danny, Sam, and Tucker go? Shouldn't they be here too?" Dani nodded.

"With any other travelers, everyone would be here, but because those three are here so often, they've been given their own rooms near Pandora's and my own. They are only a few minutes away, so I'm sure they will come to visit soon. For now, why don't you figure out where each of you will stay and rest for a bit. Whenever you wake up, you can stay here until someone comes to take you to the tournament tonight. Don't worry, you're spectators unless you choose to fight." With that, Dani did a small bow before walking out of the room, slowly turning invisible as she did so.

"So," Everybody turned to Mr. Lancer as he spoke. "Why don't we all get some rest? *Of Mice and Men* we have not gotten a good one in quite some time. Besides, it is around when Saturday night would be." The students agreed and, with little hassle, managed to all pile find a room that they liked as well as a good roommate. Once everybody was in their rooms, Mr. Lancer and the Fentons retired to their respective rooms as well.

"Mamá, you know about the GZ having a King or Queen or Prince or whatever, right?" Pandora was sat on a large, cushioned chair in Danny's room while he sat on his bed. Sam and Tucker were both lounging on the floor in two large bean bags. Danny had a large room with a canopied double-wide bed as the center-point. The door opened facing the foot of the bed, only a few feet away. On either side, he had a small area filled with a variety of object. When on the bed, the right side was covered in beanbags and pillows, along with a large TV and Gaming Console on one wall, which is where Pandora, Tucker, and Sam sat. The other side, which was behind Danny's back, had a large table with a map of the Ghost Zone on it, as well as various pins and small figures on it. One of the two side walls was covered in shelves of real-life objects that Danny worked in his spare time to return to their owners if the objects were important. The other side wall, next to the door, was covered floor to ceiling in pieces of armor hanging off hooks in the wall. If someone would look at these pieces close enough, they would realize that there were a total of 5 suits of armor on the wall, one black, one white, one purple, one blue, and one red. If this someone paid even more attention, they would notice that the suits were for Danny, Dani, Sam, Jazz, and Tucker, respectively. The last wall was covered quite similarly to the wall of armor, only with an impressive supply of weapons from every era, enough for each member of the Phantom Squad to have a weapon of their own from every era on the wall.

"Yes, I do recall the natural hierarchy of this realm." Danny nodded and looked at his friends for a moment, taking a deep breath before reaching for the cuff on his right hand. Danny slowly undid it and bared the crown that rested on his wrist to Pandora.

"This showed up when I defeated Pariah Dark. A day or two ago, when I told Sam and Tuck that I had it, the mark kind of...moved? And now..." Danny nodded to Sam, who had moved her choker to be wrapped around her wrist and covering her own mark. She reached out and removed her choker, showing that she also had the mark on her wrist. When the trio looked back to Pandora, she had tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Pandora? Are you okay?" Sam stood and took a step toward Pandora, meaning to comfort her, but was quickly engulfed in an embrace.

"Call me mamá. Welcome to the family, Sam." The goth awkwardly returned the hug, not quite understanding what Pandora meant. After a moment, Pandora stepped back and cleared her throat, composing herself. "I am very happy to hear this." Danny cleared his throat.

"Yeah, Mamá? We're asking you what the marks are and what they mean. We have no clue what you're talking about." Pandora looked between the three teenagers in shock before laughing. The woman laughed so hard that she clutched her stomach and fell backward, luckily landing in her chair.

"Oh my- what a surprise! This is truly humorous!" Pandora managed to calm herself down enough to talk and looked at Danny happily. "Oh, Astrapí. That is the Ghost Zone's Royal Family Insignia. You were made Prince of all Ghosts when you defeated Pariah. When Sam received the mark, that was a sign of unbreakable engagement. Upon your marriage, you will become King and Queen of the entire Ghost Zone!" Pandora had thrown her arms out in gesture with a smile on her face, but the three teens were all staring at her with limp jaws.

"Holy shit. You guys are actually engaged! Ha! This is great!" Sam and Danny both threw pillows at Tucker, hitting him from both sides. Danny managed to shake off the shock first.

"Mamá, could Sam and I have some time to talk alone?" Pandora sobered quickly and nodded, standing and guiding Tucker out as he continued to laugh.

"You're a Prince?"

"Call me Danny."


	7. Chapter 6 - Preperation

"So. We're engaged." Danny and Sam were sitting side by side on the bed, both staring at the floor in shock. Danny put his head in his hands as he replied.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know, honestly. If I had- I don't know. I probably would've done things differently." Sam nodded and set her forehead against Danny's shoulder.

"I mean, we knew that it was something important when we did that weird tattoo exchange. Couldn't you tell? The way it felt-. There was something about it that I could tell it was something big." Danny groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"God, I should've known. I shouldn't have done that without knowing what it was. Didn't you hear her? Pandora said that our engagement was unbreakable. It's permanent. We can't do anything about it and-and you didn't even know. Proposals are supposed to include someone asking and someone agreeing and it should be a mutual decision and we didn't-. Neither of us knew. It shouldn't have gone that way." Danny was shaking his head as Sam reached an arm around his shoulders.

"Think about it this way. Now we both have badass tattoos, we already knew we were probably gonna be together forever, and it really is kind of funny. So far, everything about our relationship has gone slightly wrong. Our first kiss was a fakeout makeout. The moment we realized we were in love was also the moment we thought we would never see each other again. Our engagement was on accident. Maybe we should mess something up at our wedding to keep the tradition." Danny let out a sharp laugh.

"Sure." He chuckled some more, moving his hand up to hold Sam's where it was resting on his shoulder. "Who would've thought that you would be the optimist in our relationship." Sam laughed and kissed Danny's cheek.

"See? Now you're happy and I can be goth again." The two laughed at the small joke. After a moment, Danny let go of Sam's hand in favor of resting his palm against her cheek with a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

"We're engaged. We're only Juniors and I'm dead, but we're really engaged." Sam nodded, watching Danny's deep blue eyes suddenly have small green dots in the irises. She had never noticed until recently that bits of sea green would sneak in whenever Danny felt a strong emotion of any kind.

"Yeah. We are and that's enough for now, agreed?" Danny slowly leaned forward, closing the small gap between them as he brushed his lips against Sam's.

"Definitely. I don't want to be married when I graduate High School." Sam smiled and leaned back in, kissing Danny gently. The two soon went past making out, celebrating their accidental engagement.

In another room, a couple of hours later, their classmates were beginning to wake up and gather in the common room between their rooms, which now had plenty of human food for them to eat. In a nearby hallway, Tucker and Dani were discussing Danny and Sam's newfound relationship status loudly.

"-and according to Pandora, that's a sign of engagement!" Dani's loud giggle echoed to where the students were lounging, causing them to go to the door, listening in on the conversation. "Can you believe it? They've gone from accidentally together to accidentally engaged! Jazz is gonna die when she finds out!" More students had been coaxed to the door by the sound of Tucker's loud exclamations.

"Jazz? Think about the civilians! The people of After-Greece are gonna hold an extra 10 feasts for this! Not to mention all the ghosts who owe me money from bets! I knew Astrapí was gonna pop the question before they graduated. Everybody else thought they would get married. I just became rich in drachmas." The students slowly backed away from the doorway as the two children in the hall laughed. Kwan was the first to break the silence as he sat on one of the cushions.

"'Popping the question' means a proposal, right? With a ring and all that?" Valerie hit the back of Kwan's head.

"Yeah, genius. If those two aren't playing us, I'm guessing Danny and Sam are planning to tie the knot." A silence flowed the room as the students realized what had just been said. Danny and Sam were engaged. Paulina collapsed into one of the larger bean bags.

"I can't believe the loser and the freak are getting into a lifelong relationship while I'm still a virgin. This is horrible." Dash caught a football that Kwan had thrown at him and replied.

"You know, babe, I've been trying to fix that for a while." Paulina groaned.

"Of course I know. That doesn't mean I'm actually going to let you be my first. Besides, I want to wait before I actually lose my innocence." Star groaned in disgust suddenly.

"If they're getting engaged, do you think that they've...?" Silence reigned again as everybody who had been listening let the thought settle. Amity was such a small town that most of the students felt like family and had never gone very far together, making most of the student body virgins despite their age.

"Hey, everybody. It's good to know that so many of you are feeling rested." The group looked to the door and saw Tucker and Dani standing in the doorway.

"Are Danny and Sam engaged?" Half of the students whipped their heads around to see Mikey standing with a curious look that matched the rest of the group. "And have they had sex yet?" The rest of the class now also looked at Mikey in surprise. "What? We were just wondering a moment ago. Why shouldn't we ask?" Dani leaned toward Tucker slightly and stage whispered.

"Did you tell them?"

"No. No, I did not."

Back in Danny's room, the recently engaged couple were just starting to wake up. Sam had woken up with her head on Danny's bare chest and one of her legs over his while Danny's arm wrapped around her waist. As she slowly regained consciousness, Sam heard someone in the hall. The goth pulled the comforter further over her and Danny before trying to fall back asleep, not wanting to lose her comfortable spot.

Suddenly, Sam's comfort and Danny's peaceful sleep were interrupted by a sharp knocking on the door. "Danny? Something happened and I'm really sorry, but I didn't know and Dani wanted to know what was going on and-" Sam threw a pillow at the door, the thud effectively making Tucker stop talking. "Sam? What are you doing in-? Holy shit did you guys-?" A second pillow, this time it was thrown by Danny, against the door made Tucker stop talking.

"Tuck, give us a minute!" Danny groaned and held his head in his hands. "God, I feel like I just died a second time." Sam looked at him and chuckled.

"You sound like it too. Did we really-?" Sam didn't need to finish the question for Danny to understand. The half-dead boy lifted the blanket and looked at their naked bodies for a moment before dropping it and looking at Sam.

"I'm gonna say that we did. We should probably get dressed." Sam blushed and climbed out of the bed, gathering her clothes from where they had been abandoned on the floor. The couple was soon dressed, making Danny decide it was time to let Tucker into the room. Danny opened the door and froze at the sight of half his classmates standing behind Tucker and Dani. "Tucker, what the fuck? I just woke up and you know I have good reason to be exhausted. So, again, what the actual fuck is going on?" Tucker stood, frozen, making Dani answer in his place.

"They know you're engaged." Danny furrowed his eyebrows in thought for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. Without warning, Danny slammed the door closed. A moment later, the class could hear a muffled 'fuuuuuuuuuck' from the room before the door opened again. This time, Sam stepped out, closing the door behind her.

"He's tired. Forgive him. Tucker, I swear if you-" Before Sam could finish her threat, Nathan spoke up from the back of the group.

"What's on your wrist?" Sam looked down and sighed, seeing that she had forgotten to cover the mark.

"It's a tattoo. Long story, don't ask." Sam looked at Tucker tiredly. "How long till the tournament?" Tucker reached into his pocket and pulled out Felecia, his most recent PDA.

"We've got an hour and a half in living time." Sam sighed and put a hand on Dani's shoulder.

"Could you give these guys something to fo? I have to help Danny get ready and I don't trust Tucker to do anything for now." Dani smiled.

"I can help them get ready for the tournament in traditional clothing?" Sam nodded, barely remembering what traditional meant in After-Greece. "Perfect. Everybody follow me. I'm gonna get you all into some formal-wear for the tournament." Dani walked away with the students trailing after her, mumbling amongst each other. Tucker turned to Sam.

"What do you mean you don't trust me?" Sam rolled her eyes and pulled Tucker into the room. Once inside, Tucker saw Danny laying face down on the bed. "Oh. You need help. You really need help." Tucker chuckled slightly at the sight of his friend laying pathetically.

"Shut up Tucker, I'm overwhelmed and about to fight some of the best warriors in history." He sighed and raised his head slightly. "Just a typical Saturday night." Danny groaned and let his face fall back into the blanket. "Why is this my life? I'm just a high schooler." Sam sighed and pulled Danny off the bed by his arm.

"You're half dead, Danny. Of course, your life is complicated." Tucker grabbed Danny's armor off the wall, all black titanium with small white gold accents. As Tucker arranged the pieces on the bed, Sam grabbed Danny's underarmor and Danny began to undress to his underwear. Sam threw a black linen shirt at Danny, who caught it and put it on. Next came a black kilt-like object, accompanied by a belt to hold it on under the shirt. Danny pulled on some black biking shorts for decency before the group began to cover Danny with the armor pieces. A breastplate and small metal plates covered his torso and shoulders, while greaves protected his legs. Danny's helmet was also black, covering the back, top, and sides of his head in a thin and durable sheet of metal. On top of it was a more decorative second helmet that had a gold plume along the top. Lastly, Danny held a large shield that was also black with small gold designs along the outer rim.

"Wow, I feel like I'm in Greece. You look like a proper Grecian soldier." Danny rolled his eyes at Tucker. The tech-lover happened to also love saying that same line every time that Danny wore his armor, or anyone else in the group, for that matter.

"Yeah, yeah. Now I just need my spear and sword. Then I'll be ready for the tournament." The trio left Danny's room and Sam and Tucker went to help the rest of their class get dressed in formal-wear and go to the tournament. Danny walked to the armory, where Perseus, slayer of Medusa, was balancing various swords to see which one he would use in the tournament. "Hey, Perseus." The man looked up at Danny and smiled. Despite being in his 40's upon his Death, Perseus remained in his prime in the afterlife, meaning he was in his mid-20's body.

"Astrapí. It's good to see you. I see you will be in tonight's tournament. The citizens will be happy." Danny smiled and began to balance swords in his hand as well, finding which one would be the best for him to use in a fight.

"Well, I know plenty of people who will be excited to see you fight. Especially because we're gonna have human spectators for the day." Perseus hummed, turning a sword side to side, before realizing what Danny had said.

"Wait, humans? As in, they're alive? They're not even Demi-Gods or anything?" Danny shook his head and sheathed the sword he had been holding a moment before, deeming it worthy. The boy turned to the adjacent wall, where various spears we on display, and began to search through those as well.

"They're my classmates from the real world. My Teacher and biological parents decided that it would be smart to take them all on an outing into the zone and now I have to lead them back home. I came here for help and couldn't get out of the tournament." Perseus clapped Danny on the shoulder as he viewed the assortment of spears.

"Well, then. I'll make sure to put on a good show." He reached out and grabbed a long spear with leather wrapped around the shaft. "Do they know that you're half-dead?" Danny scoffed as he hit a nearby straw dummy with his spear, testing its weight.

"If they did, they'd be out of the zone by now. They don't, though, so don't give it away." Perseus smiled.

"I would never dare think of it, Astrapí." The two smiled and walked to a large field just outside of a second Colosseum where the tournament would be held.

Meanwhile, Danny's class, teacher, and parents had been changed into traditional Grecian formal wear. The women all had dresses of various colors that were entirely one piece of fabric with neck and armholes cut as well as small golden strips of fabrics that acted as a belt. They were also all given comfortable sandals with leather strips that wound around the shins. The mean wore the same shoes and their clothes had been made the same way, except for golden sashes, with golden belts as well. Tucker wore something similar, but his red toga lacked a sash, had gold trimming, and rings of golden fabric on his upper arms. Sam had wrapped her toga in a way that you could see her sides, which seemed white against the black fabric of her toga. Sam's shoes were also black and she had the same gold trimming, belt, and armbands as Tucker. Dani had almost the same thing, only her toga was white and had been tied in a much more modest style.

"Wow, we all look so, like, Greek." Sam rolled her eyes at Paulina's comment.

"Yeah. Probably because we're wearing Grecian clothing. Come on, we'll lead you to where we'll be watching the tournament from." Sam turned around, her toga swinging around her legs as she walked away. Tucker followed after her, walking quickly to catch up before walking in stride. Dani waved for the group to follow before she let her legs become a ghostly tail and flew with her head just behind Sam and Tucker's.

"So, you and Danny planning to tie the knot, huh?" Sam sighed. Danny never had been good at subtle, her voice echoing enough for the people to hear her.

"Well, I guess we are. Definitely not any time soon, though." The three children laughed for a moment before a shrill yell pierced the air.

"You what?" Everybody in the hall turned to see Maddie Fenton standing in a teal toga and her face red with anger. "Explain!" Sam's eyes fixed on Maddie, her mouth gaping like a fish. Dani's slightly translucent body blocked Sam from view.

"Don't be upset with Sam. Or Danny, for that matter. They're their own people so you can't get angry with them for loving each other." Sam groaned as her head tilted down. Tucker stepped forward and put a hand on Dani's ghostly shoulder.

"Come on, let's all just go to the tournament. It's gonna start soon and you don't want to miss the first fight." Silence reigned for a moment before the group slowly continued, footsteps echoing in the hallway as they wandered to the tournament.


	8. Chapter 7 - I Megali Machi

Danny waited in a room beside the arena alongside the other gladiators. Perseus, Achilles, and Heracles sat with Danny, the four of them discussing how they would work to keep Danny from having to use his powers. Perseus wrapped his arm around Heracles' shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Why don't you just lose right away so that Astrapí doesn't have to kick your ass." Heracles spat out a laugh.

"His identity will concede to my ego. I would never let myself lose, nor fight another not worthy of my attack." The group laughed before Danny joined the banter.

"Don't worry, 'Cles. We know that you don't try to lose. It just ends that way." Achilles, Danny, and Perseus laughed as Heracles pouted, failing to hide his recognition of the humor in Danny's remark.

"Why don't we all get back to the topic on hand. How do we protect the young prince's secret?" Danny groaned. "Think about it. If his humans discover what and who he is, it will not bode well for our friend here. He'll likely never be allowed to return here, or never be allowed to leave. Either way, it would be horrid for the soon to be king. Besides, he's soon to be king. If we mess this up for him, we'll likely be dead." The group laughed.

"You know that you're already dead, don't you? There's nothing I would be able to do other than lock you away, which wouldn't be fun at all. Not to mention, you're my friends! I wouldn't blame you anyway. I've been considering telling some more humans anyway. Maybe this would be a good opportunity." Perseus and Heracles looked to Achilles pointedly, causing him to sigh and stand up.

"Fine, fine." Achilles retrieved a dummy with armor on it, although it was covered in a sheet. "If you want to tell them with style, here's a new suit of armor for you." Achilles whipped away the sheet with a flourish and smiled. The dummy had armor similar to that which Danny was already wearing, but it had a large black cape with white trim and small white crowns embroidered into the underside. The helmet had white plumes that matched the white lines and accents on every piece of armor. The armor had small lines of green throughout it, likely various forms of ecto-emerald that had been found in the dead obsidian which formed the elegant pieces.

"Damn." Danny stood up and began to examine the armor more closely. As he looked, he realized that the emerald lines subtly glowed, leaving the armor with an ethereal splendor. "Who made this? It's great craftsmanship." Perseus smiled.

"Heracles, Achilles and I designed it. Chiron got the materials. Barak put it together. Do you like it?" Danny looked back at his friends with a smile.

"Like it? It's great! How could I not? How did you guys get my size? You didn't measure me while I slept, did you?" Heracles laughed.

"If only we had that courage! No. We stole your current armor at one point and let Barak use it as an example. We got it back just before you got here. Barak even had to distract you so it took you longer to get to the castle." The three laughed at the surprise on Danny's face before he joined them with an airy chuckle.

"It feels weird to know I was so close to catching you. Why'd you guys do this for me?" Prometheus suddenly appeared behind Danny.

"They've been muttering about your coronation since the last tournament. I get the feeling that's what they want this to be for, your majesty." Prometheus included an exaggerated bow as he emphasized 'your majesty'. "But considering they're already presenting it to you, these fools simply want to be the favorites." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Fuck off, Malaka. I'm not going to fight you unless we're pitted against each other in the tournament. I'm in too good of a mood to give in to your teasing this time." Prometheus scowled at the sound of being called a 'wanker'

"Fine. See if I care. I'll make sure we fight." Danny rolled his eyes as the famed Grecian archer walked away, likely on his way to bother someone else.

"Though. Would you wear the armor or do you not want to be too awesome for your humans?" It was soon time for the Tournament to start, but before Danny had to go for his first fight he had already switched into the new armor, leaving the old behind in the waiting area.

Danny's first fight was against Bellerophon, son of Poseidon and second rider of Pegasus. As Danny and Bellerophon stepped into the arena, Danny looked around the arena to try and find his classmates but failed in finding them before he had to start the battle. Bellerophon grabbed his spear and shield, giving Danny no choice but to take up his weapon, which happened to be a dual-edged sword with an ecto-emerald inset to the hilt and obsidian filling any cracks and dents that had appeared over the past few years in which Danny had been using it. After a short but difficult battle, Danny managed to get first blood from a cut on Bellerophon's spear-wielding arm, making him the winner.

As the tournament continued, Danny fought and defeated Meleager, Theseus, and Daedalus. Ironically, Heracles had defeated Prometheus, despite eventually letting Perseus defeat him. At last, the final battle was between Danny and Perseus, which would be a dramatic show of combat between the two sword-wielding heroes. "You aren't going easy on me, are you?" Danny asked as the two began to circle each other.

"Heracles said that, if I win, he'll show me a hell of a night. You know when he makes those promises he delivers. I gotta beat you to get it, though, so I'm not going easy." Danny scoffed as their swords clashed.

"I was drunk and you know it. Heracles and I weren't even going any further that night. Stop acting as if I dated him before you." Perseus laughed as the two danced around each other, practically choreographed in the synchronicity.

"I could, but then I wouldn't have half the things I tease you about." Their fight continued for minutes on end until eventually, Danny was on his back with Perseus' sword about to fall upon his leg. In a moment of instinct, Danny rolled out of the way, used his shield to push himself upward and landed on Perseus' back throwing them both to the ground so that Perseus was on his stomach where Danny had been only a moment before. Danny's sword pressed against the back of Perseus' neck, making him the winner of the tournament. Perseus hit the ground three times, surrendering. Danny stood and reached down to help Perseus stand. Danny smiled and nodded at his friend before looking to where a group of humans sat and looking Sam in the eye.

Danny hit his fist against his chest twice before blowing a kiss to his fiancee, causing her to overdramatically pretend to swoon before blowing one back. The two laughed and, with a final bow, Danny walked back to where Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles were likely waiting for him so they could go to the post-tournament feast.

"Astrapi! Good job out there!" Danny and Achilles started talking to one another about each of their battles, discussing how they could train their abilities even more. As they did so, Danny could hear Perseus trying to convince Heracles to ignore the parameters of his promise and entertain Perseus for the night despite his loss at the end of the tournament. Danny had a slight feeling that Heracles would likely give in and had been planning to do so either way. The four walked into a great pseudodipteral temple, which was filled with places for people to sit and eat their feasts. Half the temple, specifically the naos, was dedicated to space for lesser beings to sit and eat on the floor, while the opisthodomos had some tables with benches where the greater beings could eat.

"Danny!" As soon as Danny and his friends stepped into the opisthodomos, Sam launched herself into Danny's arms. "That was amazing, Wonder-Boy. You could use a little extra muscle on your legs, though. We should add that to your work-out." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Of course. I need more on my plate. Aren't I busy enough?" Sam chuckled and gave Danny a chaste kiss on the lips before dragging him over to the table where Pandora, Dani, and Tucker sat with some other Greek heroes as well as the rest of the humans.

"Defteros! What happened while we were gone?" Dani looked up and stuck her tongue out at Danny.

"Nothing interesting. Some loser beat all the cool gladiators in the tournament. You're lucky you missed it. He even pulled some bullshit move with his shield at the end of the last battle. It was all kinds of boring." Danny laughed and rustled Dani's hair.

"Yeah, yeah. Now, time to feast" Danny started filling his plate with various animal legs and an entire loaf of bread.

"Yo, Fenturd! What was that? Why didn't you fight back against me if you could do that stuff this whole time?" Danny sighed and swallowed his large bite of a giant drumstick.

"I just beat famous Grecian heroes without getting hit once. If I had fought back, you would've broken something and I would've gotten expelled. Besides, you would've beaten up some other poor soul who couldn't take it, so better me than a random freshman." Most of the humans were silent while Danny went back to his drumstick, finishing it in the next few bites.

"So, Astrapí." Danny looked up at Heracles, who had perched himself practically on Perseus, and continued to eat his third drumstick. "What do you say to you and Gynaíka joining us for a double date tonight?" Danny took a moment to finish chewing and swallow his food before answering.

"No way! Perse told me about your promise. You can't lead a guy on like that and not deliver, especially you. You and I both know how you get in bed. You'll torture him at this rate!" Perseus let out a victorious yell as Heracles laughed.

"Thanks, Astrapí! See, Babe. I told you he would be on my side." Heracles shrugged.

"Well, if they want to join us for that part instead, I wouldn't say no." Sam showed up behind him and slapped the back of Heracles' head with a scowl.

"Last time you offered, we both said no. What makes you think we'll agree now?" Sam walked around the table and settled in next to Danny, who was filling his plate for the second time. Heracles smiled mischievously as he replied.

"This time, neither of you are virgins. Am I right? You've got the glow of someone who just had sex recently." Sam and Danny blushed, although Danny's devouring of any food he could reach did not slow. "Oho, I'm right! I knew it!"

"Excuse me?" Maddie stared at Sam and Danny in shock. "What do you mean my son has-? He's-?" Danny rolled his eyes.

"I'm 17 years old, Mom. Did you think I was going to stay a virgin forever?" After a very, very awkward conversation where Danny managed to eat 7 more plates full of food, ghosts had begun pulling out the alcohol, leading to Danny having Dani lead the rest of his class, excluding Sam and Tucker, back to their rooms. Danny's mother tried to have him go back to his room as well, but he insisted that, because he had been the winner of that month's tournament, he had to stay behind for as long as everybody else. No need telling them all that he was practically required to stay as a ghost royal.

"Astrapí!" Danny turned to see Barak running up to him. "Why didn't you tell me?" Barak's arm wrapped around Danny's shoulders as the other hand ruffled his hair. "I shouldn't have to hear about your engagement from gossiping servants!" Danny's cheeks grew hot and he realized he couldn't look Barak in the face.

"Well, I didn't know when I saw you. It was kind of news to me too." Barak tilted his head in disbelief. "I'm telling the truth. I didn't realize that I had proposed. Neither one of us did." Barak laughed.

"Only you, Astrapí! I wouldn't have expected Gynaíka to know since she isn't quite dead yet, but you? You should've realized. How did you not know, anyway? A proposal is pretty hard to miss!" Danny sighed. He had already noticed that he had gotten slightly drunk, so he got the feeling that if he started saying too much he wouldn't e able to stop.

"It wasn't exactly a normal proposal!" As Danny finished his defense, Sam laughed and fell into Danny's lap. Where had she come from?

"You could say that again! We have a matching tattoo that moved! It was even more gothic than when we first opened the ghost portal!" Sam looked over at Perseus and Heracles, who were in the midst of a heavy make-out session that would inevitably be brought to a bedroom quite soon. "Perse!" The man pulled away while Heracles moved to kiss and suck on his shoulder. "If Danny agrees, what do you say to us changing our minds on your suggestion from earlier!" Perseus smiled coyly. Danny didn't know when Sam had managed to get so drunk.

"No. No. No, I'm tired. We're not doing that. Leave the Grecian orgy for another day. Maybe one where I didn't just fight a Tournament." Danny waved Perseus away as a sign that they were NOT changing their minds, thank you very much.

"But it would be fu~n." Sam drawled out the word and wrapped her arms around Danny's neck.

"Gynaíka, leave the poor man alone. He's trying to live his drunken life to the fullest." Drunk? He wasn't drunk. Was he?

"Yes, babe. You are." Danny jerked his head back up from where his chin rested against his chest and looked at his fiancee. No, he wasn't. "Danny, you are very drunk." Well, she is too. "I can still say that you are. Takes one to be one or whatever." No. That's not it. What was the saying?

"Astrapí! Gynaíka! You two are so drunk I'm worried about the future of the zone! Once you're in charge, nothing will run right anymore! We'll all be dead! Or- Well- You know what I mean." Danny would be a great King. He will be the best King. He'll have the best queen. She's already the best queen. She just doesn't have her crown yet. Yet. She should have it already.

"Good to know you support me, Baby." As time went on, Danny and Sam managed to eventually get away and go back to Danny's room, where they both changed into what they found as pajamas and climbed into bed. Danny quickly fell asleep while Sam ate the loaf of bread she had taken from the party. Once she finished it, she fell asleep as well, cuddling up to her fiancee.


	9. Chapter 8 - Departure

Early in the morning, long before anyone else would have awoken, Danny slowly peeled himself away from the comfort of his bed and went for a walk. He had been plagued throughout the night by nightmares and chose to try and clear his mind with a change of scenery.

As he walked, Danny started mapping more details to their plan for leaving the Ghost Zone. He found himself lost in thought of which islands they could maybe stop at and how many provisions they would need. Danny's mind was on a constant loop until he walked into something. Danny's eyes looked slightly upward and saw a familiar face standing there.

"Geez, Fenton. I was saying your name. The hell was keeping you in your head?" Dash had crossed his arms ad stood before Danny with a sneer. "Whatever. Not that I care anyway. Look, I-" Dash sighed and tucked his thumbs into his jean pockets. Danny leaned back in confusion. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something and this seems like the most peaceful part of this whole deal. How did you get covered in green lines? Those covering your chest. I saw them and I've never seen anything like that and-."

"Stop." Danny had lifted his head from where he watched the ground and now stared Dash down with a look of so much pain, fear, and anger that Dash honestly feared for his life. Dash had never been more scared than in the moment in which he saw pure, raw emotion on Daniel Fenton's face.

"Don't ever ask me about that. The way I got that scar is none of your business and it's not a happy memory. If you want more information on scars that look like that, Mr. Lancer or even one of the other students could clear things up for you. You won't ask me again. That's not a request." Danny turned around and walked away, having made his decision to leave and promptly forget the conversation ever happened. His plans, however, were foiled.

Danny was suddenly rough-housed, his shirt ripped off him in a sloppy manner.

"At least tell me why this is green!" Dash gestured wildly to the spider-web scars which reached all along Danny's torso, beginning to reach up to his neck as it had already disappeared beneath his waistband. Danny growled and snatched back his shirt.

"It was the portal accident. Now shut up and never ask again." Danny quickly pulled his shirt back on and started walking away. To prove a point, Danny walked through the wall, not remembering nor caring what was on the other side.

He really should've cared.

On the other side of the wall was Paulina, sitting in a very bright room with Star, Valerie, and two muses. Specifically, Thaleia and Melpomene, the muses of comedy and tragedy, respectfully. The five women all looked at him in shock before Thaleia smiled.

"This makes things more interesting!" Thaleia patted the cushion next to her. "Come. Join us! We were about to play a very promising human game." Danny considered his options. Play a game with three A-List girls and two muses, or go back into the hall and face Dash.

Danny sat down next to Thaleia. Melpomene was on his left side, followed by Star, Paulina, then Valerie, who was on Thaleia's other side.

"So, Danny." He looked at Paulina. "Where'd you learn to fight?" Danny frowned.

"I'm not going to humor that. You're only asking because you find physical abilities attractive. You don't like me." Paulina froze while Valerie chuckled and Melpomene smiled sadly. Melpomene wrapped her arm around Danny's shoulders.

"You, young champion, truly do carry disaster where ever you go." Thaleia leaned her head against Danny's with a stroke to his jaw.

"And, if I may say, It is delightful. I find it so amusing when people make a mockery of themselves."

Danny stared forward emotionlessly. "I have a fiancee. Get off of me." The two pulled themselves off with a sigh. "What game are we playing, again?"

Star smiled kindly. "We never said. We were planning on truth or dare." Danny looked at her thankfully.

"Cool, why don't you start?" As Star opened her mouth, Paulina jumped forward.

"Ok! Danny, Truth or Dare?" Danny sighed.

"Truth."

"Who taught you to fight like that?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You already heard that it was Chiron. For a refresher, he's the first Centaur and he trained some of the most famous Greecian heroes." Paulina sat back with a pout, clearly not having gotten the answer she wanted. "Whatever. Valerie. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." Danny thought for a moment before smirking.

"I dare you to slow dance, alone, for a full minute." Valerie sighed and started to stand. As she did so, Thaleia started playing music on a small lyre she had pulled from seemingly nowhere. Melpomene joined in with pan pipes. The two played a simple tune as Valerie, embarrassed and reluctant, began to waltz as if she had a partner.

After a full minute, Thaleia and Melpomene slowed the music to a close, cueing Valerie to make a dramatic bow before seating herself.

"Why exactly did you want me to dance?" The group looked at Danny in confusion.

"Would you rather I dared you to do a backflip?"

"Fair point. Thaleia, Truth or Dare?" The game continued with various dares and questions, never straying too far from what was comfortable. Eventually, Melpomene asked Danny.

"Truth."

"Hmm. I'll have this one for everyone to answer. If you had to date a ghost, which one would it be?" A round of 'ooh's circulated through the room. Paulina happily shouted.

"I would date my Ghost-Boy. He's, like, so hot. And he's already saved me seven times. He likes me back." Danny groaned inwardly while Thaleia laughed.

"You are quite amusing! Saying that Phantom finds you attractive! It's a joke, is it not?" Paulina scoffed as the rest burst into laughter. Except for Melpomene, of course, who simply smiled. "I would date Erato. She would be a wonderful lover." Melpomene nodded before voicing her agreement.

"I think that the ghost who rides a motorcycle would be nice. He seems exciting." Star smiled slightly as she leaned back slightly. "What's his name? Johnny 3?" Danny stifled a laugh.

"First, his name's Johnny 13. Second, if you tried to date him, his girlfriend might kill you. They died together, they'll stay together." Star shrugged.

"Never said we had to be realistic about it." The group looked at Valerie, who had sighed loudly.

"I guess I would have to, so I would date that one ghost who's always hunting Phantom. He and I seem like we might get along enough for a day or two before I break up with him." She continued after confused looks. "I don't like ghosts." They all shifted toward Danny, who was the last to answer.

"I mean, I guess I would date Phantom. He and I are similar and already know each other well. We've even had some awkward flirting, so it's not improbable." Danny purposefully didn't mention that this was from one of the stranger accidents with the Fenton splitter.

"What? No! He's mine!" They all groaned at Paulina's outburst. Danny regrettably replied.

"Paulina, he likes you about as much as he likes Valerie. Or Star. Or Mr. Lancer for that matter. He sees you as just another citizen of Amity. He'll save you time and time again, but he'll do the same for anyone else. He'll do the same for everyone else. He doesn't see you the way you see him." Paulina shrieked in astonishment. "I'm just saying that, even if he did like you, it wouldn't be a good match. Think about it. He's dead. Meanwhile, you're very much alive and have a life worth living. He cares more for others than imaginable while you prefer to put yourself first. You want a knight in shining armor and he seems like he could be that. He couldn't. He's a knight, sure, but he's nowhere near shining. He's bloody and broken. He's scared and untrusting. He's fucked up worse than you can imagine." Before Paulina could reply, Dani burst into the room.

"Astrapí! Finally! I don't know why you're here, but we need to go!" Danny stood up quickly and started walking toward Dani.

"What's going on?" He froze at the look on Dani's face, one filled with too much fear and shock to be anything good.

"It's Sam. We found her passed out and she isn't waking up. Something's wrong." Without a word, Danny burst into a run. He went through walls and yelled at anyone in his way. The moment he was out of sight, he turned invisible and flew at top speed. He was outside of his room when he finally turned visible again, luckily alone in the hall.

"What the shit?" Danny looked to the side and saw Wes, who was stood at the end of the hall. Danny recognizing that he was in a rush, couldn't help but smile.

"No one will ever believe you." He then stepped through the door into his room, where Sam slept on the bed. Around her were Pandora, Tucker, and one of the medics, who was holding a wet cloth against Sam's forehead. "Is she okay? Do you know what's wrong? How did this happen? Who found her? Everyone else is okay too, right? Are you sure that-?" Pandora put her hands on Danny's shoulders.

"I'm afraid all we know is that she will not awake. She is alive, but not responding to anything we do." Danny looked at Sam in worry as he pulled a chair to the bedside. He pulled her hand into his and noticed it was colder than usual.

"She's cold. We need to warm her up." The medic sighed.

"We've been trying. There's been no change." Danny saw that the small fireplace was lit and there were two extra blankets underneath the comforter. Danny frowned and held Sam's hand against his lips.

Hours passed. Word got around that something was wrong with Sam and Pandora ended up stationing herself outside the door to ward off curious classmates. Tucker eventually left to try and figure out arrangements to the far frozen, who had more advanced medicine.

Danny didn't move. He didn't blink. He didn't even breathe. He just held Sam's hand in hopes that he might feel something from her. Something other than her breathing to show she was there. Eventually, tears had begun to build up in his eyes. Soon after that, Danny fell asleep, his head resting next to Sam's waist.

"Danny?" His eyes slowly slipped open before he looked at the door. Tucker approached slowly, letting his hand rest on Danny's shoulder. "Hey, I figured out some chariots and drivers to take the class back to the real world. There's another one to bring me, you, Sam, and Dani to the Far Frozen. I've already sent a message saying that we're about to leave. Let's get moving." Danny looked down at Sam, who still hadn't moved, with a sigh.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go." Danny leaned down and picked up Sam in a bridal style, keeping two of the blankets on her. Tucker slowly led Danny to the front entrance of the palace, where the chariots were waiting. When they entered, his class was waiting as well, standing beside the chariots that would take them back to the portal.

"Danny!"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Sam!"

"What the hell?"

"Oh my god!"

"Did something happen?"

Danny ignored them as best he could, placing Sam gently on the floor of the chariot. He sat beside her with her head in his lap. After a moment, Danny looked up and saw that their driver was Achilles. After further searching, the other drivers were revealed to be Patrocles and Heracles, who were both driving much larger chariots. Achilles leaned down slightly.

"I'll get you guys there as quickly and as safely as possible, okay? None of us want anything to happen to her." Dani ran in and climbed into the chariot, sitting across from Tucker at Sam's side. "That's everyone. Let's go." Achilles left the palace with a start.

They left without a goodbye.


	10. Authors Explanation

Hey, it's an **Authors Note**! I'd like to apologize for how few and far between my updates have been on this story. I really love it and am constantly trying to keep writing, but school and home life have both been insanely hectic lately. I'm working on this when I can, but even my chances to update the story are barely twice a month. I am sorry and hope I can someday dedicate more time to this, but that day is nowhere near soon. But, hey, I would love to hear what you guys think I have in store for our protagonists! As always, I'm open to ideas and critiques!

Sincerely, Blah (Fun Fact: I always hear my username in my head like the minions sticking their tongues out in disgust, lol)


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